With Security Minister Omar García Harfuch in attendance, security issues were a key focus of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning press conference.
Here is a recap of the president’s Aug. 27 mañanera.
García Harfuch: Certain factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are ‘weakened,’ but organization has ‘several heads’
A reporter asked the president whether the government was in a position to declare the Sinaloa Cartel “extinct,” given the “downfall” of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán several years ago and the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who this week pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in a U.S. court.
Sheinbaum referred the question to García Harfuch.
“No, no,” García Harfuch said, dismissing any possibility of declaring the extinction of the Sinaloa Cartel, a major criminal organization that ships large quantities of narcotics, including fentanyl, to the United States.
“The Sinaloa Cartel has never had a [single] leader as such,” the security minister continued.
“In other words, it has always had several leaders. It’s a cartel that has several branches, let’s say. One of those was [led by] Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, another by ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, then [there are] the sons of ‘El Chapo; ‘El Guano,’ who is also a brother of ‘El Chapo’; [and] another [faction] of ‘El Chapo’ Isidro,” García Harfuch said.
“… The cartel can’t be [considered] finished because there are several heads of this [group] that was once [a more unified] Sinaloa Cartel,” he said.
“There are still cells and very important criminal leaders that have to be arrested,” García Harfuch said.
Asked whether the Sinaloa Cartel was at least weakened, the security minister responded:
“Certain factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are weakened.”
Two of those factions, Los Chapitos and Los Mayos, are engaged in a long-running war that has claimed more than 1,000 lives since September 2024.
Sheinbaum: Money linked to ‘El Mayo’ that is seized in Mexico should benefit the Mexican people
A reporter noted that Zambada has committed to forfeit US $15 billion to the U.S. government, and asked Sheinbaum whether her government will allow U.S. authorities to seize accounts and assets linked to the cartel leader in Mexico.
The president first said that there is no guarantee that Zambada will hand over such a large amount of money to the U.S. government.
She subsequently said that “there is coordination” between Mexico’s Finance Ministry and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, suggesting that the two entities could work together to seize money and assets linked to Zambada.
Sheinbaum said that if there is a “seizure of resources” in Mexico and that money is transferred to the United States, her government “would have to ask” for it to be returned to Mexico “for the benefit of the people.”
She said that the money would be “distributed for the people, for the most modest people.”
“That’s why there is an Institute to Return Stolen Goods to the People,” Sheinbaum said.
García Harfuch: No evidence of an alliance between Los Chapitos and CJNG
A reporter asked whether the government had any information about an alleged alliance between Los Chapitos and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)
The New York Times reported on June 30 that a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel “led by sons of the drug lord known as El Chapo” had “allied with an old and powerful adversary, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to four people familiar with the matter.”
García Harfuch said that there was no evidence of such an alliance.
He said that narco-banners had appeared in Sinaloa with messages indicating that CJNG members were in the state and helping to strengthen Los Chapitos.
However, “everything indicates” that Los Chapitos themselves created the banners to make people believe “there was this alliance,” García Harfuch said.
He said that there has been “no arrest that confirms there is an alliance” between Los Chapitos and the CJNG.
Sheinbaum: ‘We don’t establish collusive relationships with anyone’
A reporter asked the president whether her government had any information about police, military personnel and politicians receiving bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, as Zambada said occurred during his leadership of the criminal group.
Sheinbaum once again referred the question to García Harfuch, who acknowledged that there have been arrests of municipal and state police officers who were allegedly on the take.
“To this time, we haven’t had any military person or marine [who was found to be] involved in this kind [of illicit activity],” the security minister said.
García Harfuch also said that the government had no information about public officials or politicians receiving payments from the Sinaloa Cartel.
“If there is any investigation, as always, it will be reported with complete transparency. We will conduct the investigation and arrest whoever we have to arrest,” he said.
Sheinbaum chimed in to declare that, “We don’t establish collusive relationships with anyone.”
She said that if any “person, politician or public official” is suspected of having links to criminal groups, they will be investigated.
“But we don’t have, at this time, any proof against any public servant or member of the army or navy. And if any evidence were to be found, all of us who are part of the Security Cabinet will not cover up for anyone,” Sheinbaum said.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
Most of the narco money comes from drug using Americans.
True….and it’s the fraudulent American “Drug War” itself that causes more harm, corruption and injustice than all the drugs combined. Cheers from Acapulco!
And from other foreigners (though México now has a drug problem of sorts).
she is out of her mind. The money belongs to the US and should be used for rehab and law enforcement. If she wants drug money she can get it from the cartels that operate freely in Mexico, or perhaps her share is not enougu
And you are an expert? I’d apportion it according to product, i.e., fentanyl vs. other with the fentanyl portion (entirely the drainchild of cartels and often sold fraudulently to unsuspecting victims) to the U.S.A. and the rest (readily demanded by U.S.A. users) to the U.M.S. I get the sense that he made most of his money in cannabis (before decriminalization/legalization decimated his market) and cocaine, but his cartel has certainly been up to its ears in fentanyl. I expect that the U.S.A. has, or will get, a good sense of from where it came.
Please send me a couple million 💰💰 Sra. Presidente… 🤣
Maybe Claudia should return the drug money that financed her campaign to the ‘most modest people.’
💯
“To this time, we haven’t had any military person or marine [who was found to be] involved in this kind [of illicit activity],” the security minister said.
What a joke.
You can’t find what what you don’t look for.
I must say that I doubt very much that “there haven’t been any millitary person or marine involved”! That clearly cannot be the case. I thought it was common knowledge the military and or police has been involved all along – at least to some degree. Please explain and correct me if I am wrong!
I have a different take than the others who commented: I’d like to think how lucky we are to live in a country where the President her competent staff answer direct questions from the media rather than have the rest of us logging into some social media platform to see the latest ‘update’ given without any scrutiny or follow up questions. This government works and behaves like one should. There is no embellishment or careless comments, just facts and accuracy
She serves her atole every morning, like her predecessor. Some find it sweeter and easier to swallow coming from the presidenta. Enjoy!
Thank you Bradford for making your sane and cordial reply. Unfortunately, there are too many venomous Americans who have imported their ugly personalities to MND. It is sad that they will not limit it to FaceBook, X etc.
Its a thorny issue and as much as Id ́ike to see those funds go to hungry Mexicans than to prop up tbe regime of a little man/ ” wanna be” dictator. Both country’s laws and international law favors the US. There is precedent for revenue sharing in analogous circumstances, but that is when the US had less corrupt and arguably, more patriotic leadership. So the bottomline:
Legally, under U.S. law, the forfeited $15B belongs to the U.S. unless there’s an explicit agreement to share or return it. Under international norms, Mexico has a strong moral and legal claim, but in practice, it’s subject to negotiation and politics, not an automatic right.
Thank you Mike for your thoughtful and cordial insight
What she doesn’t seem to understand is that the seized money WILL be used to benefit the Mexican people. That is, the illegals who abuse the u.s. welfare system take billions from the American citizens every year. What gall….
Mexico’s politicians benefit greatly from the cartels. I’d Sheinbaum wants even more of their money perhaps she should have her administration go after and arrest these major cartel leaders. The arrests Mexico makes of nobodies and low level cartel members is not impressive. Although to hear Sheinbaum describe it she is bringing down the cartels.
It amazes me how naive people are in accepting anything she says as truth. She’s a politician for Christ’s sake. Just because US politicians are shameful and dominate the coruption conversation, it doesn’t automatically make her Mother Theresa. She’s as full of shit as every other politician. It’s easy for Americans living in Mexico to prop her up when we really have no dog in the fight. If you really want to “do” something, quit telling Mexicans how lucky they are to have her and actually do something to better Mexican’s lives. Volunteer, give financially to organizations that are bettering Mexico. But stay out of Mexico’s politics. The majority of us are relatively privileged and have the ability to travel between the US & Mexico as we please, have homes in both countries and have a lifestyle most Mexican citizens will never know. Let’s quit telling them how lucky they (or worse, WE) are because of their leaders. Cartels are a scourge on society reaching far, FAR, beyond narcotics and the US. The damage they cause to Mexico and it’s people never seems to get any coverage. Likely because that type of reporting results in dead journalists. Crooked politicians have allowed this to continue. Until the politicians take real action against the cartels, Mexico will never know peace. As foreigners/immigrants/expats, whatever you identify as, Mexican politics is not our lane. We are guests, even as legal residents, we have no true understanding of what is best for Mexico.