Sheinbaum Pushes Back on US Cartel Accusations

President Claudia Sheinbaum accused the United States of using organized crime accusations against Mexican politicians as a tool to weaken foreign governments, pushing back on a wave of allegations from U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar.

"On various occasions, the U.S. government has used accusations of alleged ties to drug trafficking against people or political actors as a form of interference or to weaken governments," Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference. "Not only in Mexico, but also in past administrations."

The president pointed to the Iran-Contra affair as a historical precedent. In the 1980s, the Reagan administration secretly sold arms to Iran and used the proceeds to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua. Some of those operations involved drug cartels moving weapons. Sheinbaum cited this as an example of the U.S. deploying narco narratives for political ends.

The pushback comes as diplomatic tensions flare between Mexico City and Washington over several issues. Ambassador Ken Salazar has made a series of statements suggesting links between Mexican political figures and organized crime. Last week, Salazar denied lying about the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping and transfer of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada to the United States.

Zambada, a co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, was brought to the U.S. in July 2025 under circumstances that remain deeply disputed. Mexico's government says it was not properly notified of the operation. The U.S. says it followed standard procedures. A plane was even publicly presented as part of an alleged FBI operation, which Sheinbaum's team says raises more questions than answers.

"We have asked the Attorney General's Office to open an investigation to determine whether any crime was committed," Sheinbaum said. "The fundamental point is to clarify whether there was a violation of national sovereignty."

Sheinbaum stressed that while a bilateral extradition treaty exists between Mexico and the United States, any action must follow established legal mechanisms and respect Mexican sovereignty. The message was clear. The U.S. cannot bypass legal procedures and expect Mexico to accept it.

The president also addressed speculation that her administration is protecting Ruben Rocha, the governor on leave from Sinaloa. She rejected the claim outright.

"We are not protecting anyone," she said. "Any legal process against him must be based on evidence."

She dismissed rumors that Rocha was in hiding, stating he remains at his residence. Multiple Mexican media outlets had circulated speculation that the governor had disappeared.

The broader context matters. Mexico and the U.S. have a complicated relationship when it comes to organized crime. Washington frequently pressures Mexico City to do more on cartel enforcement. At the same time, Mexican officials bristle at what they see as unilateral U.S. actions that ignore bilateral protocols.

The Zambada case has become a flashpoint for this tension. The cartel boss was allegedly kidnapped in Mexico and flown across the border. Whether Mexico was informed, and at what stage, remains the core dispute. Sheinbaum wants a full investigation to determine if Mexican law was broken when Zambada was taken out of the country.

For Mexican readers, this is familiar ground. Every few years, U.S. officials point fingers at Mexican politicians over drug ties. Sometimes the accusations stick. Sometimes they vanish. What changes is the political temperature at the moment the charge is made. Right now, that temperature is rising.

For U.S. readers, Sheinbaum's statements matter because they signal a shift in how Mexico engages on security cooperation. The current administration is less willing to accept U.S. framing of the drug war. When Sheinbaum invokes Iran-Contra, she is telling Washington that she sees the pattern and is not afraid to name it.

Ken Salazar has not responded publicly to Sheinbaum's latest remarks. But the ambassador's previous statements suggest the two governments remain far apart on how they view the Zambada case and what it means for bilateral relations.

Whether this leads to concrete changes in cooperation, or just more heated rhetoric, remains to be seen. But the message from Mexico City is clear. Accusations without evidence will not be accepted quietly. And when the U.S. points fingers, this administration is ready to point right back.

What happens next depends on Washington. If the White House presses for more cooperation on cartel enforcement, it will need to rebuild trust first. And trust has been in short supply since the Zambada case broke open the question of whose sovereignty matters on which side of the border.