President Claudia Sheinbaum demanded clarifications on the possible FBI role in the 2024 arrest of Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada. In her July 7, 2026 conference she pointed to contradictions in US accounts and called for the FGR and SRE to investigate whether former ambassador Ken Salazar lied to the Mexican government.
During the July 7, 2026 mañanera, Sheinbaum recalled that in August 2024 then-ambassador Ken Salazar denied any participation by US agencies. A recent museum exhibition of the plane, attributed by the FBI to its operation, raised the question of who had lied.
Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez warned that, if confirmed without prior notice, the intervention would have violated the Constitution, the National Security Law and international treaties. Sheinbaum clarified that the goal is not to break bilateral cooperation but to ensure the truth is told.
Deputy Ricardo Monreal backed the president and Rodríguez. He called for Mexico to send a diplomatic note to the United States and for the FGR to open an investigation to sanction any sovereignty violation.
The Mexican government reiterated that it continues to request formal information from the FBI about Zambada’s transfer on July 25, 2024, with no response from Washington to date.
