Claudia Sheinbaum denies knowing “El Mayo” Zambada’s lawyer

EFE.- Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied knowing Juan Pablo Penilla , lawyer for Ismael “el Mayo” Zambada , despite the fact that a photo of them posing together was released over the weekend, and noted that her government does not establish relations of “complicity” with anyone.

“The important thing here is to say, to emphasize, to guarantee to the people of Mexico that we do not establish relations of complicity or collusion with anyone. With no one,” the president affirmed during her morning press conference.

This weekend, various media outlets published a photograph of Juan Pablo Penilla Rodríguez with Sheinbaum. Following the photograph, information was released stating that in 2023 the litigator was named honorary advisor to the government of Tamaulipas, headed by Américo Villarreal, of the ruling Morena party.

Photographs were also published with the current coordinator of the Morena deputies, Ricardo Monreal , after which both the government of Tamaulipas and the national leader of the party denied having any link with Penilla Rodríguez.

Sheinbaum, for her part, insisted that she does not know the lawyer and justified the image by saying that during the presidential campaign and public events she takes many photographs with many people.

“Just this weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there must have been, I don't know, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 photos taken, of a lot of people coming to take a photo, and when you're in the territory, you don't know exactly who you're taking a photo with ,” he said.

“I don’t know the person,” said President Claudia Sheinbaum when referring to “El Mayo” Zambada’s lawyer, Juan Pablo Penilla; she said that the photograph that was published “I don’t even know where” was taken during his political campaign. pic.twitter.com/NJZ6Tsoam3

— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) February 24, 2025

He also said that if there is an investigation file against Penilla Rodríguez, it should be investigated so that "it is taken to its final consequences."

Just last Friday, the president revealed that her government will analyze the request for the repatriation of El Mayo , co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel , who assured that if it is not met, the relationship between the United States and Mexico will suffer a “collapse.”

“El Mayo” was arrested on July 25, 2024 in the United States, after he was deceived in Culiacán and handed over to US authorities in Texas , who subsequently imprisoned him in New York.

The drug trafficker faces charges of organized crime , homicide, large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering, among others.

Last week, the United States government headed by Donald Trump officially designated six drug cartels in Mexico as terrorist groups, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG).

Violence in the state of Sinaloa, and especially in its capital, Culiacán, has increased since September 2024, with more than 800 homicides, due to the confrontation between the criminal cells of Los Chapitos and Los Mayos, following the arrest in the United States of El Mayo Zambada.

Read: “El Mayo” Zambada demands that the Government repatriate him; Mexico is evaluating the petition