Ken Salazar memoir fuels Mexico‑U.S. tension over El Mayo Zambada capture

In a forthcoming memoir, former U.S. ambassador Ken Salazar recounts that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was concerned about possible U.S. involvement in the July 2024 capture of Sinaloa drug lord “El Mayo” Zambada. President‑elect Claudia Sheinbaum said the former president’s worry centered on Washington’s interference rather than the arrest itself, emphasizing a breach of Mexican sovereignty. Salazar alleges the operation resulted from negotiations between the United States and the “Los Chapitos” faction, heirs of Joaquín Guzmán, sparking internal cartel retaliation and hundreds of deaths in Sinaloa. The memoir, titled *Fronteras. Mi lucha por un Estados Unidos incluyente*, is set for release in July and is expected to revive criticism of U.S. actions and strain bilateral relations.