Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, one of the founders of the Sinaloa Cartel, has requested in an alleged letter revealed by Abel Barajas from Grupo Reforma, his extradition to the Mexican Government from the United States, where he has been detained since 2024, describing it as a "kidnapping."
The letter, made public by Juan Manuel Delgado González, Zambada's legal advisor in Mexico, confirms that the request was made at the Mexican Consulate General in New York. In the document, the drug lord threatens a potential "collapse in the bilateral relationship" if his demand to be transferred to Mexico is not met.
According to Zambada, he would have been "kidnapped" from Sinaloa by Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of 'El Chapo' Guzmán, another co-founder of the cartel. In the letter, he requests consular assistance and warns of possible future cases of illegal transfers from Mexico if his request is ignored.
In the letter, Zambada's team also highlights the illegitimacy of the United States to impose the death penalty and demands formal guarantees that he will not be sentenced to that punishment. It is mentioned that failing to intervene categorically in this matter would be a betrayal of the Mexican legal system.
Additionally, the Mexican government is urged to continue pressuring the United States for a detailed report on the circumstances of his transfer. This issue has been emphasized by President Claudia Sheinbaum and her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
