During the weekend, it was revealed that the Mexican writer and journalist Diego Enrique Osorio had a conversation with Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, one of the main leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, before his arrest at an airport in El Paso, Texas, on July 25. In that talk, the drug trafficker discussed topics such as the possibility of the United States declaring criminal groups as terrorists, aspects of the drug trade, and people related to the cartel.
In the book 'In the Mountain,' Genaro García Luna is mentioned, the former head of the federal police during Felipe Calderón's government who was recently sentenced to 38 years in prison in the United States. During García Luna's trial, it was revealed that he received bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel to facilitate the importation of drugs into the North American country. Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada stated that he did not hand over money to García Luna, but suggested that his brother might have done so.
Jesús 'El Rey' Zambada confirmed during the same trial that he gave millions of dollars in bribes to García Luna in exchange for favors, such as expediting drug trafficking to the United States and ensuring protection for 'El Mayo' Zambada. The payments were made in places such as a car wash in Guadalajara and a restaurant in Mexico City and were also used to place cartel members in strategic police positions.
The U.S. Attorney's Office indicated that García Luna leaked information to the Sinaloa Cartel to avoid arrests, allowed its members to use police uniforms to unload drugs at Mexico City airport, and weakened rival groups. Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada assured that he had no direct dealings with García Luna but that the information provided by him allowed them to develop counterattacks against their enemies.
Jesús Zambada, in his key testimony against García Luna, emphasized that the alliance with the former Mexican official allowed the Sinaloa Cartel to operate with relative security during internal conflicts with other cartels.
