A video released by the Mexican Sinaloa State Attorney General's Office has stirred significant controversy in the country as it directly contradicts statements made by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, one of the most powerful leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.
The video, which shows the assassination of Culiacán Mayor Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda at a gas station, casts doubt on the version of events Zambada detailed in an open letter during the weekend regarding the events of July 25 that led to his capture.
Zambada, a drug lord who had evaded capture for decades, was recently arrested in Texas along with Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and one of the leaders of Los Chapitos, one of the factions inside the Sinaloa Cartel. Both are accused of leading drug trafficking operations, including the distribution of fentanyl, a substance described by the U.S. Department of Justice as "the greatest public health threat in recent history."
El Mayo Zambada's letter
Zambada, known for his discretion and ability to avoid public scrutiny, published through his lawyers a letter on August 10 in which he claimed that Cuén Ojeda had been murdered at a ranch on the outskirts of Culiacán, where Zambada himself was allegedly kidnapped by Guzmán López, El Chapo's son.
In the letter, Zambada stated: "Héctor Cuén was my friend for a long time, and I deeply regret his death, as well as the disappearance of José Rosario Heras López and Rodolfo Chaidez, whom no one has seen or heard from since."
However, the Sinaloa Prosecutor's Office released a video recorded the same day Zambada was captured that refutes this version. In the video, Cuén Ojeda is seen arriving at a gas station in a white Ford Raptor truck. Minutes later, a motorcycle with two people on board approaches the vehicle, shooting at Cuén Ojeda's companion, who later died in a private hospital.
"This is the first time this video, which is part of the investigation file, has been shown," said a spokesman for the Prosecutor's Office.
🚨| Revela FGE video del atentado contra Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda en una gasolinera ubicada a las afueras de Culiacán. pic.twitter.com/VJFY8wJkjD
— Luis Alberto Díaz y Los Noticieristas (@noticieristas) August 12, 2024
The Authorities' Response
The video has generated mixed reactions, especially since it calls into question the truthfulness of the statements made by Zambada, who, until his capture, was considered one of the most powerful and elusive drug traffickers in Mexico.
Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya also denied Zambada's version, stating that he was not in the state on the day Zambada and Guzmán López were arrested. "First, I was not in Sinaloa that day; I was informed throughout the day and night, and I returned early the next day. Second, no one in organized crime has the right to summon me to resolve a problem," Rocha Moya stated in a press conference.
The arrest of Zambada and Guzmán López has been described by the U.S. Department of Justice as a significant step in the fight against the Sinaloa Cartel. In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized: "The capture of these cartel leaders represents a major blow in our efforts to dismantle one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world."
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