Ken Salazar, outgoing United States ambassador to Mexico, did not deliver the report on the capture of capo Ismael el Mayo Zambada, requested by both President Claudia Sheinbaum and former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“This report will follow legal channels,” he said and added: “Efforts against organized crime are going to be a priority of the next United States government.”
The arrest of Mayo Zambada in the American Union was the last of the disagreements regarding security between Mexico and the United States.
Last August, Salazar confirmed that Mayo was taken against his will before the US authorities, while Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín el Chapo Guzmán, had surrendered, coupled with the fact that the US had given all the information to the Mexican government, to the regard.
However, the prosecutor of the Republic, Alejandro Gertz Manero, pointed out that although the US government had shared information, it was still not clear how the plane, in which the son of Chapo and Mayo traveled, crossed the airspace. American and why the pilot who commanded the aircraft was not arrested.
Drugs
On the other hand, during his last press conference in Mexico, before leaving the country, given the change of federal administration in the northern neighbor, Salazar emphasized that Mexico and the United States must maintain cooperation to address issues such as migration, security and fentanyl.
In this context, the still ambassador reiterated that fentanyl is produced in Mexico, although he considered that the binational debate should not focus on that aspect.
“I know what happens, that there is fentanyl in Mexico and I also know that it is produced here,” he said.
“The debate about where fentanyl is produced does not take us where we need to go (…) I believe that what Mexico should do is take advantage of the things that they want to do in one way: migration and security. There is the fentanyl thing and there is also the arms trafficking thing, and there is also the migration thing,” he said.
“I have no regrets”
As part of his final message to the media, Salazar said that “the mission is never accomplished, the work continues.”
“I don’t regret anything, I leave feeling that we did a strong and good job,” he declared from his official residence.
Mark Johnson will remain at the head of the diplomatic representation as the ambassador appointed by President-elect Donald Trump arrives.
