Sinaloa Drug Cartel Leader ‘El Mayo’ Says in Letter He Was ‘Kidnapped and Forced to the United States’

Sinaloa drug cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, in a letter written from prison and released by his lawyer, details what he believes led to at his arrest in the United States.

“El Mayo” and Joaquin Guzman LopezZambada, one of 12 children of notorious drug kingpin El Chapo, were arrested near El Paso, Texas, on July 25 without incident, federal authorities said. The arrest of Zambada, a longtime U.S. fugitive, “strikes at the heart of the cartel responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, that are killing Americans from coast to coast,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said at the time.

Guzman Lopez38, allegedly tricked Zambada, 76, into boarding the plane a plane on the day of their arrest, A person familiar with the investigation confirmed to CBS News, telling “El Mayo,” that they were going to look at properties in Mexico. Guzman Lopez is said to have make a deal to the American authorities on his behalf and on behalf of his brother Ovidio Guzmán López.

In a letter obtained by CBS News on Saturday, El Mayo disputes that version of events. He wrote that there were “many inaccurate reports” and that he would provide the “true facts” of that day. He added that he wanted everyone to know from the start that he did not turn himself in, that he did not make a deal and that he did not come voluntarily.

“On the contrary, I was kidnapped and brought to the United States by force and against my will,” he wrote.

Zambada wrote that he had been invited to attend a meeting by Guzman Lopez, to help resolve differences among political leaders in the state of Sinaloa. On the morning of July 25, Zambada wrote that he arrived early for their meeting in Huertos del Pedregal, just outside Culiacan. He saw a large number of armed men wearing green military uniforms, but trusting the meeting and the participants, he was led into a dark room, where he said he was ambushed. A hood was placed over his head and he was put on a plane for a flight that lasted 2.5 to 3 hours, he wrote.

He arrived in the United States and was taken into custody by federal authorities. “El Mayo” pleaded not guilty in El Paso court and waived his arraignment and detention hearings, court records show.

The cartel leader wrote in the letter that he did not kill Héctor Cuen, a former federal deputy and mayor of Culiacán, who was present at the meeting. He also claimed to have nothing to do with the disappearance of José Rosario Heras López, commander of the Sinaloa state judicial police, and Rodolfo Chaidez, a security agent, who were also present at the meeting.

He claimed that all reports to the contrary were false. He concluded his letter by calling on the governments of the United States and Mexico to be “transparent” about his kidnapping, subsequent disappearances and death.

“I also call on the people of Sinaloa to exercise restraint and maintain peace in our state,” Zambada wrote. “Nothing can be solved through violence. We have been down this path before and everyone loses.”

Robert Legare contributed to this report.