Mexico arrests suspect linked to Ismael Zambada kidnapping

Mexican federal authorities have arrested Fausto Ernesto Corrales Rodríguez in Mexico City for his alleged involvement in the events surrounding the 2024 kidnapping of Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada and the homicide of politician Melesio Cuén Ojeda.

According to the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), Corrales, a lawyer and member of the Sinaloense Party (PAS), accompanied Cuén to the meeting in Sinaloa where Zambada was seized by a rival faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. The FGR accuses Corrales of participating in the cover-up of Cuén’s murder and providing false testimony, noting that he allegedly offered contradictory statements to obstruct the investigation.

The kidnapping of Zambada, which led to his subsequent arrest and conviction in the United States, has caused significant diplomatic tension between Mexico and the U.S. Zambada previously claimed he was lured to the meeting by Joaquín Guzmán López under false pretenses.