Sheinbaum says Corrales arrest may clarify El Mayo case

Reporting and context

President Claudia Sheinbaum said Fausto Corrales’s detention could help clarify how Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was allegedly abducted and taken to the United States in July 2024. Entorno Informativo Sonora reported that Sheinbaum made the comments during her morning news conference and said the investigation into the events of July 25, 2024, remains open.

The Fiscalía General de la República arrested Corrales in Mexico City’s Miguel Hidalgo borough. According to the source report, authorities consider him a possible participant in the events and say he may have been present at a meeting where Zambada was allegedly abducted. The report also says prosecutors are examining Corrales’s statements because they allegedly contain contradictions or omissions. The source presents those points as claims from authorities and the outlet.

The case is also connected to the investigation into the killing of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, which occurred on the same day as Zambada’s capture, according to Entorno Informativo Sonora. Sheinbaum said Corrales’s detention might provide more information about what happened before Zambada reached U.S. territory. The source report leaves the full circumstances of the alleged abduction unresolved, with competing accounts still under investigation.