MEXICO CITY — The U.S. ambassador to Mexico on Friday defended cross-border cooperation in the fight against drugs after Mexican prosecutors publicly complained that U.S. officials were not giving them enough information.
The Mexican government was ashamed of the surrender of two Mexican drug lords who arrived at an airport near El Paso, Texas, aboard a mysterious flight in July. Mexican officials say they were not even aware of the operation.
Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office took the unusual step Thursday of asking Interpol to obtain information about the flight. Such matters are normally handled directly between the two neighbors.
US Ambassador Ken Salazar said Friday that cooperation in the fight against drug crime remains good.
Salazar stressed that even U.S. officials were surprised by the arrival in July of the private flight carrying drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman.
Both belong to rival factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel and authorities say the younger Guzmán allegedly enticed Zambada to attend a meeting before being kidnapped and flown to the United States.
The younger Guzmán had apparently been in talks with U.S. officials for some time about turning himself in, but he had not mentioned that he might also take Zambada with him.
On a contentious issue in Mexico, Salazar said he likes one aspect of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s proposed justice reforms. Those reforms include all judges stand for election.
López Obrador has often clashed with the judiciary and many Mexicans fear that such elections could undermine the independence of the judiciary.
Salazar did not offer an opinion on that part of the reform, saying it is up to Mexicans to decide. But he did say he supported a proposed change that would limit the length of trials in Mexico, which can sometimes drag on for decades as defendants file endless appeals.
Salazar cited two extradition cases against leaders of the once-notorious Zetas cartel, noting that nearly a decade has passed since U.S. extradition requests were ruled on.
“The first thing we need to do is set time limits for decisions, which I think is a good idea,” he said.