Mexican authorities assured that they have not located properties registered directly in the name of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in national territory, after the historical leader of the Sinaloa Cartel was sentenced to life imprisonment in a federal court in New York and the confiscation of assets worth an estimated $15,000 million dollars was ordered.
The Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection of Mexico, Omar García Harfuch, explained that the investigations carried out by the federal government have not found properties or assets formally registered in the name of the drug trafficker. However, he specified that the authorities have secured a significant number of bank accounts, properties and other assets linked to criminal organizations related to Zambada.
"Not specifically in his name. Yes, of criminal organizations and there have been a considerable number of accounts and properties," declared the official during the presidential press conference held in Toluca, State of Mexico.
The statements coincide with what was expressed a day earlier by Frank Pérez, Zambada's defense lawyer in the United States, who maintained that the US authorities did not identify properties registered directly in his client's name either, despite the million-dollar confiscation order issued as part of the sentence.
Mexico analyzes whether it will claim part of the confiscation ordered in the United States
The sentence imposed by the US justice system includes the confiscation of assets valued at 15 billion dollars, a figure that the drug trafficker's defense considers impossible to cover by ensuring that there are not enough assets to respond for that amount.
After learning of the court ruling, President Claudia Sheinbaum reported that she asked the Attorney General's Office to review whether the Mexican State has legal elements to claim part of the resources that may eventually be recovered by the US authorities. García Harfuch was also consulted about the possibility of Zambada requesting to serve part of his sentence in Mexico.
The official responded that any procedure related to a possible extradition corresponds exclusively to the Attorney General's Office of the Republic.
“El Mayo” was arrested on July 25, 2024 in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, after arriving on a private plane accompanied by Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
The boss later maintained that he was deceived and kidnapped before being transferred to the United States, a version that the Mexican Government has indicated should be investigated, while bilateral cooperation in combating organized crime continues.
