El Mayo Zambada Request for Repatriation

Request from El Mayo Zambada
He Asks for a Trial in Mexico
Mexican Government Reviews Repatriation Request

The Mexican government is currently reviewing a request from Ismael «El Mayo» Zambada, a key figure in the Sinaloa Cartel who is facing legal proceedings in the United States.

President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Friday that the Mexican Consulate in New York had received a written request from Zambada, in which he asks for government support and to have his trial conducted in Mexico.

«No one is defending the individual,» Sheinbaum stated.

«Beyond the person and their crimes, the issue at hand is how the detention was carried out,» she clarified.

Could El Mayo Zambada Be Repatriated?

Request from El Mayo Zambada for Repatriation, Judge, Consulate, Drug Trafficking — ? Request from El Mayo Zambada for Repatriation / Photo: The Associated Press

According to The Associated Press, Zambada’s letter claims that U.S. authorities failed to verify the legality of his entry into the country.

In addition to requesting a trial in Mexico, Zambada also seeks government intervention to prevent the United States from imposing the death penalty.

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The letter further argues that if the Mexican government fails to uphold its duty to protect the rights of its citizens, it could damage diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Zambada, one of the oldest and most strategic leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested in July in Texas after arriving on a private jet alongside Joaquín Guzmán López.

Joaquín is one of the sons of Joaquín «El Chapo» Guzmán, who is currently serving a life sentence in the U.S.

Later, Zambada alleged in a letter that he was kidnapped by Guzmán López.

This prompted the Mexican government to open an investigation for treason against those allegedly responsible for handing him over.

However, during his hearings, Zambada has not officially argued that his detention was unlawful.

Zambada faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl.

In January, U.S. prosecutors revealed that they were discussing a possible plea agreement with the drug lord.

Mexico can request that the U.S. refrain from applying penalties prohibited under Mexican law, such as the death penalty.

But the U.S. typically only allows repatriation once the legal process and sentencing have been completed—or through a political decision.

A notable precedent occurred in November 2020, when the U.S. dropped drug trafficking charges against General Salvador Cienfuegos, who was repatriated to Mexico and later exonerated.

Zambada’s request comes shortly after the U.S. officially designated six Mexican cartels—including the Sinaloa Cartel—as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

This designation grants the U.S. additional legal tools to combat these criminal groups.

Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had previously accused the U.S. of withholding information regarding the private flight on which Zambada and other cartel leaders were detained in Texas.

In response, Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office began examining whether this situation constituted treason. Under Mexican law, treason can include unlawfully detaining someone within national territory to hand them over to a foreign authority or to transfer them abroad for that purpose.

Zambada’s detention has intensified internal conflicts within the Sinaloa Cartel, sparking violent clashes between his loyalists and the faction led by El Chapo’s sons.

The legal process remains ongoing, with many aspects of the operation still unclear.