One year after"El Mayo" Zambada was turned over to authorities and the death of Cuén, which sparked the war in Sinaloa.

 CHAR 

JULY 25, 2025 

INFORMATION BY LOS NOTICIERISTAS 

JULY 25, 2025 

The News

On July 25, 2024, one year ago, news of the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada began to spread like wildfire in international, national, and Sinaloa media, as well as on social media and WhatsApp groups. But it wasn't the only news; there was also talk of the arrest of Joaquín Guzmán López, son of “El Chapo.” Both were being held by the United States government.

That same day, the Attorney General of the neighboring country, Merrick B. Garland, confirmed that “El Mayo” Zambada and “El Chapo's” son were detained in El Paso, Texas. Both were accused of multiple counts of criminal activity, as well as being part of that country's fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking network.

The hours passed, the news shook Sinaloa and the country, and no federal authority issued a statement. It was the following day, July 26, when the then President of the Republic, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, asked his Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Rosa Icela Rodríguez, to provide the information they had.

The federal official stated that it was at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, when a call was received from the U.S. Embassy alerting them to the custody of both drug traffickers. The identities of both alleged criminals were later verified, prompting the Mexican government to request a photo and notify the secretaries of the Navy and the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena).

At the same time, Rosa Icela emphasized that "the Mexican government did not participate in this arrest or surrender, and we will continue to collaborate with the United States government," she said, leaving more questions than answers for Mexicans and unnerving the people of Sinaloa who, although they imagined what was coming, never realized the magnitude of this war fueled by drone attacks and explosive devices.

MAYO ZAMBADA

JOAQUIN GUZMAN LOPEZ

Zambada's Letter

Sixteen days after "El Mayo" was arrested, he broke his silence and shared a letter through his lawyer describing what happened on July 25 at the Huertos del Pedregal farm in Culiacán, Sinaloa, where he had supposedly been summoned to resolve the political conflict at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS).

In the letter, which was released on August 10, Ismael Zambada stated that he was the victim of an "ambush" orchestrated by Joaquín Guzmán López, son of "El Chapo" Guzmán, who allegedly kidnapped him to hand him over to the United States government.

I want to say from the outset that I did not surrender and I did not come to the United States voluntarily, nor did I have any agreement with either government. On the contrary, I was kidnapped and brought to the United States by force and against my will.

I also had no agreement with either government. On the contrary, I was kidnapped and brought to the United States by force and against my will,” he stated.

According to his account, Joaquín Guzmán López requested a meeting with Ismael Zambada to resolve some political differences in Sinaloa.

“El Mayo” shared that he arrived at the meeting place before 11:00 a.m. accompanied by four members of his security detail. Two remained outside the perimeter, while others entered with him: José Rosario Heras López, commander of the Judicial Police of the State of Sinaloa, and Rodolfo Chaidez, a longtime member of his security team.

On the way to the meeting area, he saw Cuén Ojeda and one of his aides, whom he greeted briefly. When he met Joaquín Guzmán López, the latter gestured for him to follow him, and they led him to another darkened room.

"As soon as I set foot inside that room, I was ambushed. A group of men assaulted me, threw me to the floor, and placed a dark-colored hood over my head. They tied me up and handcuffed me, and then forced me into the back of a pickup truck," recalled Zambada, who asserted that he was subjected to physical abuse that caused injuries to his back, knees, and wrists.

Later, they took him to a landing strip where they forced him onto a private plane with only the pilot, Joaquín, and himself on board. The flight lasted approximately three hours to El Paso, Texas, where US agents were already waiting for him.

"The notion that I voluntarily surrendered or cooperated is completely and unequivocally false. I was brought to this country by force and under duress, without my consent and against my will," he said.

Investigation Timeline

In August 2024, the Attorney General's Office requested the case and opened an investigation against Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López for the possible crimes of illegal flight; illegal use of air facilities; violation of immigration and customs laws; kidnapping; treason (Article 123 of the Federal Penal Code); and any other related charges.

The agency requested all relevant information from the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, which he provided to authorities and the media, demonstrating that he had not been in Sinaloa on the day of the alleged meeting at the farm. He also clarified that he was never aware of the meeting and that "El Mayo" had likely been summoned under this false pretense.

In February 2025, Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero confirmed that the Mexican government had requested Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada's repatriation to Mexico from the moment he was arrested in the United States, as he has three arrest warrants against him in Mexico.

The Murder of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda

That same July 25, 2024, the day of the surrender of "El Mayo" along with the son of "El Chapo," but already after 9:00 p.m., Sinaloa was shaken again by the news of the attack on the leader of the Partido Sinaloense, Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, at a gas station located on the Mexico 15 international highway, near the town of La Presita, north of Culiacán.

He was transferred to a private hospital in the city of Culiacán, but it was reported that he had arrived without vital signs. Reporters crowded outside the clinic, broadcasting live, still in disbelief at what was happening.

However, in the letter in which "El Mayo" describes how he was kidnapped, he revealed that Cuén was murdered on the same ranch and at the exact time he was taken from the farm to the United States.

I know that the official version given by the Sinaloa state authorities is that Héctor Cuén was shot on the night of July 25th at a gas station by two men on a motorcycle who wanted to steal his truck. That is not what happened. They killed him at the same time and in the same place where I was kidnapped," he stated.

Zambada García lamented the murder of someone he considered his friend, as well as the disappearance of two members of his security team: José Rosario Heras López and Rodolfo Chaidez. They remain missing to this day.

In August 2024, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) complained about inaccuracies in the investigation conducted by the Attorney General's Office of the State of Sinaloa into the murder of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda. Among the most notable are:

The autopsy did not correctly establish the immediate cadaveric signs, temperature, thanatological signs, lividity, or the correct description and evolution of the body.

In August 2024, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) complained about inaccuracies in the investigation conducted by the Attorney General's Office of the State of Sinaloa into the murder of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda. Among the most notable are:

The autopsy did not correctly establish the immediate cadaveric signs, temperature, thanatological signs, lividity, or the correct description and evolution of the body.

• The body has severe bruising on the head.
• The body was shot four times in the legs.
• The gas station video has sound, but only one gunshot can be heard.
• The crime scene and vehicle have not been criminally processed.
• Although there are human blood stains in the truck's bed, there are no expert reports or determinations on the matter.
• Nor have all the authorities involved complied with the body preservation measures, allowing cremation, which is contrary to criminalistic practices for homicide investigations.

For this reason, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) flatly rejected the version that Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda was murdered at a gas station in Culiacán, calling it "unacceptable" and a "set-up."

The Farm in Huertos del Pedregal

On August 21, Attorney General's Office agents located the farm named San Julián/Santa Julia, where the alleged meeting was held where Zambada García was kidnapped to be handed over to the United States government, and, it is now known, where Cuén Ojeda was murdered.

The property is located on the right side, at the end of the main avenue in the rural area, near the Bellavista police station, part of the Culiacancito municipality. It has a large wall with an electric fence at the top, security gates, a large pool, thatched roofs, grills, and beautiful gardens with palm trees.

At first glance, traces of dried blood were visible on the access ramp to the main entrance gate of the property. The Attorney General's Office began the searches on August 31.

In October 2024, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) reported that blood stains were found on the property, which federal forensic units have accurately determined correspond to the former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda. This confirms that the person was present at the scene of the kidnapping and that his bloodstains correspond to the time the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has established as the time of his murder, which occurred many hours before the locally released video of a gas station, which has since been dismissed by the FGR itself.

It also reported that human blood was found in the bed of the vehicle, corresponding to Rodolfo "C," currently missing and referred to in Ismael Zambada's letter as his bodyguard or member of his security team.

For all of the above reasons, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) has initiated an investigation into the alleged criminal and administrative responsibilities of police officers, public prosecutors, experts, and various personnel from the Attorney General's Office of the State of Sinaloa, who have already been thoroughly investigated for their involvement in the death of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda.

Message of calm overtaken by reality

Days after Zambada's surrender, and given the context of the conditions in which it had taken place, journalists asked a Defense commander if they expected the violence in Sinaloa to escalate, and the answer was no.

I think not, but we will remain alert; we are prepared for any situation, with sufficient force to react to any eventuality. After this arrest, things have been relatively calm."

Things changed, and then a war between criminal groups would ensue, taking the streets as a battlefield and driving back the population.

September 9

Once the farm was located in August and the letter confirming the rumors was revealed: Ismael Zambada had been ambushed and handed over "by force" to the United States. On September 9, a shootout that left several soldiers wounded and one dead marked the beginning of the war between the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel: on the one hand, the Zambadas' fury over the surrender of "El Mayo," and on the other, "Los Chapitos" defending the territory and containing the backlash attacks for having handed Ismael Zambada over to the US government.

At the end of his letter, "El Mayo" Zambada sent a message:

I also call on the people of Sinaloa to exercise restraint and maintain peace in our state. Nothing is resolved with violence. We've traveled that path, and we all lose," he concluded.

A message that was evidently not heeded by the groups that unleashed an era of shootouts fueled by explosive devices, executions, kidnappings, and bloodthirsty narco-messages accompanied by mutilated bodies, tire-punching in public spaces, attacks on homes, and assaults on the Mexican Army and police in Sinaloa. This has now lasted more than 10 months, resulting in the deaths of innocent people in the crossfire.

Today in Sinaloa, in addition to local police forces, there are federal reinforcements with more than 15,000 members of the Army, Navy, National Guard, and the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. Omar García Harfuch and President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo's security cabinet are constantly visiting to restore peace and tranquility to the people of Sinaloa.

Despite the results of more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of thousands of firearms, and even though there are less "ugly" days than at the beginning, the question for the people of Sinaloa remains the same: When will the violence end?

SOURCE: LOS NOTICIERISTAS 

Categories: Hector Melesio Cuen Ojeda, Ismael Zambada García, Ismael Zambada Sicairos, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Los Chapitos, Los Mayos, Ruben Rocha Moya, Sinaloa Civil War