Reported witness account gives unverified version of Cuén death

Reporting and context

Journalist Luis Chaparro reported an account from an alleged member of Los Chapitos who claimed to have witnessed the alleged kidnapping of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. In an interview with Azucena Uresti, Chaparro said the account holds that Héctor Melesio Cuén was accidentally shot when armed escorts realized the operation was a trap on July 25, 2024. The account has not been independently verified.

According to Chaparro’s description, Cuén was wounded in the leg during an exchange of gunfire and was later restrained with Fausto Corrales, who was recently arrested. The alleged witness said members of Los Chapitos placed a tourniquet on Cuén and gave both men water mixed with an unknown substance. Chaparro said he had confirmed much of the account with Corrales while Corrales was still free, but the report did not establish the precise location or circumstances of Cuén’s death.

The alleged witness also claimed that former Sinaloa prosecutor Dámaso Castro Saavedra was ordered to cover up Cuén’s killing and that Corrales’ family was threatened. Chaparro said the account described Corrales driving Cuén’s truck to a gas station, where authorities later presented a different version of events as a staged robbery. These allegations come from a reported witness account, and the report does not establish them as a court finding about Cuén’s death or the alleged kidnapping of Zambada.