The U.S. ambassador to Mexico confirmed Friday that drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada was brought to the United States against his will when he arrived in Texas in July on a plane along with fellow drug lord Joaquin Guzman Lopez.
Zambada's attorney had earlier claimed the longtime chief of the Sinaloa cartel had been kidnapped. But officials had not confirmed that and Zambada's age and apparent ill-health had led some to speculate he turned himself in.
U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar on Friday said "the evidence we saw ... is that they had brought El Mayo Zambada against his will."
"This was an operation between cartels, where one turned the other one in," Salazar said. Zambada's faction of the Sinaloa cartel has been engaged in fierce fighting with another faction, led by the sons of imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Guzman Lopez is the half-brother of the factional leaders.
Salazar said no U.S. personnel, resources or aircraft were involved in the flight on which Guzman Lopez turned himself in, and that U.S. officials were "surprised" when the two showed up at an airport outside El Paso, Texas on July 25.
Frank Perez, Zambada's attorney, said in a statement in July that "my client neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the U.S. government."
"Joaquin Guzman Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client," Perez wrote. "He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head."
Perez went on to say that Zambada, 76, was thrown in the back of a pickup truck, forced onto a plane and tied to the seat by Guzman Lopez.
In early August, Zambada made his second appearance in federal court in Texas after being taken into U.S. custody the week before.
Guzman Lopez had apparently long been in negotiations with U.S. authorities about possibly turning himself in. Guzman Lopez, 38, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago.
But U.S. officials said they had almost no warning when Guzman Lopez's plane landed at an airport near El Paso. Both men were arrested and remain jailed. They are charged in the U.S. with various drug crimes.
Salazar said the plane had taken off from Sinaloa -- the Pacific coast state where the cartel is headquartered -- and had filed no flight plan. He stressed the pilot wasn't American, nor was the plane.
The implication is that Guzman Lopez intended to turn himself in, and brought Zambada with him to procure more favourable treatment, but his motives remain unclear.
Zambada was thought to be more involved in day-to-day operations of the cartel than his better-known and flashier boss, "El Chapo," who was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019.
Zambada is charged in a number of U.S. cases, including in New York and California. Prosecutors brought a new indictment against him in New York in February, describing him as the "principal leader of the criminal enterprise responsible for importing enormous quantities of narcotics into the United States."
The capture of Zambada and Guzman Lopez -- and the idea that one cartel faction had turned in the leader of the other -- raised fears that the already divided cartel could descend into a spiral of violent infighting.
That prompted Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to take the unusual step of issuing a public appeal to drug cartels not to fight each other.
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A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former U.S. president Donald Trump on Oct. 23.
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An Ontario woman is among the dozens of people who have come forward to allege that they were sexually abused by London-based businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, the former chairman and owner of Harrods.
A man is facing numerous drug trafficking charges after Dufferin OPP seized a large assortment of drugs and weapons in Orangeville earlier this week.
The 75-year-old building, formerly the Waskesiu Chamber of Commerce building, was relocated to the Parks Canada compound on the edge of the townsite.
Mattea Roach among the Maritimers honoured with the King Charles III Coronation Medal Friday.
Montrealers can get used to taking a stroll on several car-free streets during the summer in the years to come thanks to a new commitment from the city.
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Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.
Sheba, a 50-year-old seal at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in southwest England, has far surpassed the average lifespan for seals and could be the oldest in captivity in the world.
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The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb has risen to 31, including seven women and three children, Lebanon's health minister said on Saturday.
A New Zealand pilot held hostage for more than a year in the restive Papua region of Indonesia was freed Saturday by separatist rebels.
An Israeli strike on a school in northern Gaza on Saturday killed at least 22 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, while the Israeli army said it targeted a Hamas command centre in what used to be a school.
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says close to 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, months after warning there is no guarantee Ottawa can evacuate them if the situation deteriorates further.
The federal firearm buyback program has cost taxpayers nearly $67.2 million since it was announced in 2020, but it still hasn't collected a single gun.
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Canada is setting aside $151 million for the fight to eradicate polio worldwide. International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen announced the news at a Rotary International conference in Toronto.
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The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said Friday that it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers with carbon-free energy.
Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport, the National News Agency reported, after thousands of such devices exploded during a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week.
Kathryn Crosby, who appeared in such movies as 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad', 'Anatomy of a Murder,' and 'Operation Mad Ball' before marrying famed singer and Oscar-winning actor Bing Crosby, has died. She was 90.fff
'Saturday Night Live' will have a slew of famous faces to help kick off its historic 50th season when the show returns later this month.
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The Amherstburg Freedom Museum is celebrating of a year of festivities in anticipation of its 50th anniversary in 2025.
The St. Clair College golf teams were successful at the Niagara Knights Invitational tournament on Friday.
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The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.
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