El Mayo, His Mysteries And Unanswered Questions Go On, And On, And On…

Hello everyone. Well, a legal proceeding has concluded in New York—one we thought might mark the beginning or the end of something. I am referring to the sentencing hearing of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, who was sentenced to life in prison plus a $15 billion fine by Judge Brian Cogan. 

There are many details here that need explaining. First, this isn’t the end of the story. The hearing—which I attended at the Federal Court for the Eastern District in Brooklyn, New York—was followed by a press conference featuring federal prosecutors from New York led by Joseph Nocella, DEA Administrator Terry Call, and prosecutors from other states, including Florida, the District of Columbia, and Texas. 

However, that press conference made it clear that the saga of “El Mayo” Zambada—with all its unanswered questions and mysteries—is far from over. I asked Prosecutor Nocella whether they would really miss out on the “gold mine” of information regarding narco-corruption that Ismael Zambada García represents—given that “El Mayo” stated during the hearing that he would not cooperate with U.S. authorities, nor betray or speak about anyone. 

The prosecutor replied that they would not comment on an ongoing investigation or their specific actions. What does this mean? It means they *will* speak with “El Mayo,” and he *will* provide information regarding the empire of power he built over at least 40 years at the helm of the Sinaloa Cartel. Now, let’s look closely at what is happening, because it seems the United States—at least under the current administration—is no longer focused on combating drug trafficking itself.

Instead of acknowledging its role as a victim or accepting responsibility for the suffering endured by countries like Mexico—stemming from the failure to curb U.S. drug consumption—the focus is on fighting corruption: government, police, military, and political corruption. And it’s good that they do so, but they should do it differently—without playing the victim—because I believe that figures like “El Mayo” Zambada (who asked for forgiveness and even declared himself in favor of ending the violence in Mexico) are hypocritical. 

Just look at the hypocrisy of “El Mayo”: if anyone fueled the violence in Mexico, it was him and his associate Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. The two of them prioritized the interests of the drug trade over the lives of thousands upon thousands of people—especially during Felipe Calderón’s six-year term, when—in league with the United States and driven by other interests—he unleashed a misguided, militarized war on drug trafficking.

As for my own thoughts—though that is a topic for another episode of this “7 minutes of news and irony”—let’s get back to the main point: the United States now wants to focus on fighting corruption. I have said this time and again in this forum and others: without corruption, neither drug trafficking nor organized crime could exist. Yet, the United States also has plenty of skeletons in its own closet regarding this issue; after all, there is drug-related corruption and money laundering within the U.S., and it is the source of the weapons that flow into Mexico and empower these criminals. 

What might “El Mayo” tell U.S. prosecutors? We don’t know, and speculating about it is just that—speculation. However, he could provide a massive list of names—people he corrupted, either directly or indirectly, using drug money originating from the United States through narcotics sales—spanning the administrations of Salinas or even De la Madrid, if we go back that far, right up to the present day. And that has everyone who might be involved—or implicated by “El Mayo”—very nervous. 

He is a diamond in the rough in the hands of these Americans, who now want to position themselves as champions in the fight against drug trafficking. DEA Administrator Terry Cole stated that just as they punished El Mayo, they are now going to go after other drug traffickers and corrupt officials in Mexico. Sometimes I don’t understand why Mexican authorities—who certainly possess the moral standing to do so—don’t stand up to the United States more forcefully. 

Instead, they fall for provocations, especially with an administration like Donald Trump’s. I would love to see what the United States would do if, within a matter of hours, Mexican authorities allowed all the drugs that traffickers from every cartel wanted to send into the U.S. to actually cross the border. For one thing, American drug addicts would be thrilled. 

But more importantly—and this is interesting—Mexican authorities could discover, through their American counterparts, exactly who the traffickers are on the U.S. side responsible for distributing the drugs Mexicans send over. How do these American cartels launder the money to pay their Mexican counterparts? And how do they help smuggle in the weapons that empower these traffickers? 

Anyway, El Mayo claims to regret the death and suffering he has caused Mexicans and other communities. The sheer audacity of these criminals. He is 76 years old, and that was evident at the hearing. He walked in with a limp and tried to sit down; I imagine his knees were killing him—a pain nothing compared to the suffering he has inflicted on Mexicans through so much death. 

I don’t think that pain is absolved by a mere grimace or the knowledge that he’ll spend the rest of his days in prison—though that likely won’t happen, because once he starts talking, we’ll see the U.S. treating the Sinaloa Cartel’s “boss of bosses” with kid gloves. Until next time—and as always, regarding the criminals and the politicians: give us back that Mexico they tore away from us.

Source: J. Jesús Esquivel