Why Fausto Corrales matters in the El Mayo case

Reporting and context

Fausto “N,” the former driver of Héctor Melesio Cuén, was arrested in Mexico City on Aug. 19 in a case involving the killing of the former Sinaloa Autonomous University rector and the alleged kidnapping of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. El Financiero reports that Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office accuses Corrales of possible homicide cover-up and false statements. Federal investigators consider him relevant because they say he was present at events on July 25, 2024, when Cuén was killed and Zambada was allegedly taken from a meeting site in Culiacán.

According to the report, Zambada had said that Joaquín Guzmán López organized a meeting at Huertos del Pedregal involving Zambada, Cuén and then-governor Rubén Rocha Moya to settle political differences. Zambada later said he was ambushed when he entered a room and was taken by force to the United States. El Financiero says Corrales later drove Cuén to a hospital after Cuén was wounded, making him a potentially important witness. The FGR also said in October 2025 that it found blood evidence corresponding to Cuén at the ranch identified in the investigation.

The FGR alleges that Corrales gave contradictory accounts and omitted truthful information in a way that obstructed the investigation. El Financiero also cites a 2024 statement by journalist Juan Manuel Partida that Corrales had told Cuén’s family he heard the voices of Rocha and then-senator-elect Enrique Inzunza when Cuén was killed; that claim is attributed to Partida and is not independently established in the report. Corrales’ arrest and the allegations remain subject to court proceedings, and the available account does not disclose the full content of his federal statement.