Ismael El Mayo Zambada pleaded guilty and acknowledged paying bribes to police, military personnel, and politicians to operate freely in Mexico. The acknowledgement that elected representatives were bribed alarmed Mexico's political class because the claim is brief and sufficiently general to be used politically. The weakened opposition seized on the statement to attack President Claudia Sheinbaum's government, arguing that the ruling Morena party protects cartel leaders. Some opposition figures urged U.S. intervention and cited the plea to justify external involvement. The dynamic has intensified partisan conflict and revived public calls to address corruption and security through international cooperation.
In his guilty plea, the veteran Mexican drug lord publicly acknowledged what was already widely known: that he bribed police officials, military personnel, and politicians to operate freely in the country. The allusion to that last group, elected representatives, has sent a chill through the entire Mexican political class. The statement is brief and general, so general that anyone could use it as a weapon, even at the risk of it coming back to haunt them.
It is capitalizing on the sentiment that has always existed among certain sectors of the population who see the need for outside intervention to address long-standing problems in Mexico, such as corruption and security. Statements by National Action Party (PAN) Senator Lilly Tellez, riding high after her appearance on the conservative network Fox News, in which she requested U.S. support against the cartels in Mexico, support this view.
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