Above photo: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum at a press conference. EFE/file photo.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that the United States government has historically used drug trafficking accusations against individuals or politicians as a strategy to create conditions for interference and weaken sovereign governments.
She added that this strategy is not only being applied against her government but was also previously used against that of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
To illustrate these interventionist mechanisms, she spoke about historical cases such as the Iran-Contra scandal, where the US used drug cartels to transport weapons to Nicaragua to overthrow the legitimate government there.
President Sheinbaum made these comments while addressing the controversy surrounding the statements made by Ken Salazar, former US ambassador to Mexico, regarding the kidnapping and illegal extradition of the drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
She highlighted contradictions in Washington’s official positions following the recent public presentation of the aircraft used to transfer Zambada, as US authorities claimed it belonged to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operation.
In this scenario, Sheibaum emphasized that the ends do not justify the means and that the fundamental issue lies in the open violation of Mexico’s national sovereignty. She requested that the Attorney General’s Office investigate whether crimes were committed on Mexican soil during Zambada’s kidnapping and the internal conflict that subsequently erupted in the state of Sinaloa as a result of the US operation.
The Mexican president also reported that the current US ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, is already reviewing a formal request for a detailed explanation to provide more information about the case.
Sheinbaum also dismissed claims accusing the Mexican government of protecting or hiding Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, who is currently not performing his duties. She emphasized that the governor remains at his residence and that any extradition procedure would require compelling legal evidence within the framework of the current bilateral treaty.
Finally, President Sheinbaum questioned the effectiveness of Washington’s internal policies against organized crime, demanding answers about the mechanisms of drug distribution within the US, the sales channels, the final destination of the profits, and the money laundering schemes. She reiterated Mexico’s commitment to sovereign and equitable collaboration to prevent drugs from affecting the youth of both countries.
