Reputed cartel boss Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada reiterates claim he was ‘ambushed’ and ‘kidnapped’ by El Chapo’s son

(CNN) — Alleged Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, in a statement released by his attorney, reiterated the claim he was “ambushed” and “kidnapped” by a son of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán and hand-delivered to US authorities.

The long statement, the first directly attributable to the man US officials call a major cartel figure who had evaded capture for more than half a century, comes as the 76-year-old Zambada awaits prosecution in the same federal courthouse in Brooklyn where El Chapo was tried and convicted in 2019.

Two of El Chapo’s sons – one in prison in the US, the other free in Mexico – reportedly carved out a plan before one took Zambada on a flight last month from Mexico to El Paso, Texas, according to a Mexican security official.

Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the so-called “Chapitos,” reached an agreement with his brother Ovidio Guzmán López, who was extradited to the US in 2023 and is awaiting trial on drug and money laundering charges, according to Mexico Secretary of Security Rosa Icela Rodriguez. Attorneys for the Guzmán brothers deny there was any agreement.

In his account of the stunning betrayal, Zambada insisted – as his lawyer had previously claimed – “I did not turn m...