For a second consecutive day, the circumstances of the arrest of alleged drug boss Ryan Wedding were a topic of discussion at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference.
The Mexican government says that Wedding, a Canadian citizen, turned himself in at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City late last week, but the suspect’s lawyer said Monday that his client didn’t surrender.
“He was apprehended,” said Anthony Colombo, who suggested that the U.S. government executed the capture.
For his part, FBI Director Kash Patel told Vanity Fair that Wedding — who is now in U.S. custody — was detained as the result of a “complex, high-stakes operation with zero margin for error,” in which both Mexican security personnel and FBI agents were involved.
The circumstances of the arrest are of great interest as U.S. agents in Mexico are legally barred from making arrests, and Sheinbaum has said on repeated occasions that her government will not accept any kind of intervention or unilateral action by U.S. forces in Mexican territory.
A violation of Mexican sovereignty by the United States appeared to become more likely after the U.S. military captured Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 3 and President Donald Trump said Jan. 8 that the U.S. would start “hitting” cartels on land.
Sheinbaum responds to finding that Ryan Wedding photo was created with AI
A reporter noted that a photo posted to Instagram purporting to show Wedding outside the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City was found by a Canadian media outlet (CBC News) to have been generated with artificial intelligence.
On Monday, Sheinbaum said that a post on Instagram by the account “bossryanw” was the “best evidence” in support of the Mexican government’s assertion that Wedding turned himself in at the U.S. Embassy last week.
A message accompanying the aforesaid photo read: “After seeking guarantees for a fair process, I have decided to voluntarily turn myself in to the authorities.”
Sheinbaum claimed that the message came from Wedding himself, although the Instagram account was likely opened by an “imposter,” according to CBC News.
On Tuesday, the president highlighted that there is no label on the photo stating that it was created with AI.
“Every social network has a policy: when there is a photograph or any information from Artificial Intelligence, a video [for example], it has to have the letters ‘IA’ or ‘AI,’ depending on whether it’s in English or Spanish,” Sheinbaum said.
“In this case, there is no indication that it’s artificial intelligence. That’s the first thing,” she said.
“The second thing, … [to allay] any doubt there might be about this, it’s worth putting up the post that the United States ambassador in Mexico made,” Sheinbaum said.
Ambassador Ron Johnson said in a statement last Friday that “the surrender of Ryan Wedding was a direct result of pressure applied by Mexican and U.S. law enforcement working in close coordination and cooperation.”
Sheinbaum noted that Johnson, in a Spanish-language statement, referred to “la entrega voluntaria” (voluntary surrender) of Ryan Wedding.
“I’m not going to get into an argument with the director of the FBI, nor do I want there to be a conflict,” she said.
“What they, the authorities of the United States, told the Mexican authorities is that there had been a voluntary surrender,” Sheinbaum said, adding that said version of events is what is set out in the statement issued by Johnson.
There was no joint operation with US, Sheinbaum reiterates
Sheinbaum told reporters that Mexican authorities were actively searching for Wedding, who was on the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted Fugitives” list prior to his arrest.
However, she stressed, for a second consecutive day, that they weren’t involved in a joint operation with any U.S. authority.
Sheinbaum insiste: el canadiense Ryan Wedding se entregó
El FBI y Anthony Colombo, abogado del exatleta, afirman que se trató de una captura
Dos versiones opuestas: ¿Quién dice la verdad? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/gm37OrO4cw
— Manuel Lopez San Martin (@MLopezSanMartin) January 27, 2026
“Now, how exactly did he turn himself in? Well, we don’t know the details,” Sheinbaum said.
“What we do know is what the U.S. authorities here told the authorities of Mexico, and what the United States Embassy published,” she said.
“We have no reason to doubt either the ambassador or what we were told here in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said.
Referring to Patel’s claim that Wedding was detained in a bilateral operation, the president said that was something that U.S. authorities would have to explain.
However, she stressed that her government doesn’t want to get into a dispute with the Trump administration over the issue.
“We always tell the truth, we have no reason to lie,” Sheinbaum added.
Could the US have carried out a covert unilateral operation to detain Wedding?
A reporter asked Sheinbaum whether her government had ruled out the possibility that the United States carried out a “hidden” operation in Mexico to capture Wedding.
“We don’t believe that this was the case as they have to say what they’re doing here in Mexico,” the president said.
“… We believe the ambassador and the publication of the Embassy,” she said.
“… And remember that the National Security Law clearly establishes that every U.S. agent in Mexico has to deliver a report [about what they’re doing in Mexico], and we are not aware of them having done anything other than what they constantly report to the Mexican authorities,” Sheinbaum said.
On Monday, Wedding’s lawyer, Anthony Colombo, stated:
“Look, the Trump administration with the apprehension of Maduro has made clear that we’re in a bold new era with regard to international relations. So one can understand why that statement [saying that Wedding turned himself in] might have been put out, because if the U.S. government is unilaterally going into a sovereign country and apprehending someone, you can understand the concern that that sovereign entity might have. But he was apprehended.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
