FILE PHOTO: Alleged Mexican drug kingpin and co-founder of Mexico's notorious Sinaloa drug cartel Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada appears in court after he pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges, in El Paso, Texas, U.S., August 1, 2024, in this handout court sketch. Andrei Renteria/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -The U.S. embassy in Mexico said on Friday that Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the infamous cartel kingpin "El Chapo," had surrendered voluntarily while his father's former partner Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada seemed to have been taken against his will.
Both Zambada and Guzman Lopez have pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in the United States and their lawyers offered contrasting versions of their arrests.
Zambada's lawyer said Guzman Lopez and six men in military uniforms "forcibly kidnapped" his client near the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan and flew him to the United States against his will. The Guzman family lawyer denied a kidnapping and called it a voluntary surrender after extended negotiations.
The murky circumstances leading to the Sinaloa Cartel members' U.S. arrest last month caused Mexico's president to reproach the Latin American nation's neighbor for lack of cooperation.
"No U.S. resources were used in the surrender. It was not our plane, nor our pilot, nor our people," the embassy said in a statement.
It added that no flight plan had been shared with U.S. authorities and the pilot was neither a U.S. citizen and nor had he been hired by the U.S. government.
"This represents a great victory for both countries," the embassy said in the statement. "It is the result of a very precise work based on the principles of respect for our respective sovereignties and we do this work as partners."
(Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Kylie Madry)
