Sheinbaum Blames Biden-Era Handling of Cartel Boss for Sinaloa's Turf War

The Claim

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters at her morning press conference that Biden-era U.S. officials share blame for the wave of cartel violence that has torn through Sinaloa since 2024. Her argument: if U.S. agencies had coordinated with Mexican authorities before the arrest of Sinaloa Cartel boss Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the cartel wouldn't have fractured, and the resulting turf war wouldn't have killed and displaced thousands.

Zambada was reportedly lured to a meeting by the Chapitos faction, sons of jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, then flown to the United States where federal agents were waiting, according to Breitbart Texas reporting from 2024. Zambada later pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges. If a foreign government's law enforcement action inside your borders sparks a war you weren't warned about, that raises legitimate questions about coordination and advance notice.

What's Proven, What's Alleged

The arrest itself, the guilty plea, and the subsequent Sinaloa turf war between the Chapitos and the remaining Zambada loyalists are documented facts. What's not independently verified is Sheinbaum's specific claim that Washington deliberately withheld information from Mexico City to let the operation happen a certain way.

Leaked photographs have surfaced recently showing U.S. agents appeared to be waiting for Zambada's plane, which fuels speculation that Los Chapitos and U.S. law enforcement had some level of coordination. No U.S. agency has confirmed the extent of any advance coordination with the Chapitos faction, and no formal Mexican government investigation or U.S. congressional inquiry into the arrest's planning has been announced in available reporting.

The Indictment That Undercuts Her Position

Sheinbaum's sovereignty argument faced a setback when the U.S. Department of Justice indicted Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and nine of his top law enforcement officials. Federal prosecutors allege Rocha Moya's administration protected the Chapitos faction in exchange for bribes and political support.

Sheinbaum has publicly defended Rocha Moya, a member of her own Morena party, saying there's no proof against him. She puts herself in the position of demanding the U.S. stay out of Mexican cartel enforcement while a state governor from her own party faces federal charges for allegedly working with the same cartel network she says was destabilized by American mishandling.

Sovereignty vs. Enforcement

The Trump administration has been pushing Sheinbaum to take direct action against cartels, and she has repeatedly invoked national sovereignty to reject U.S. boots-on-ground involvement. Mexico is a sovereign country, and no government should welcome foreign agents operating unilaterally inside its territory without consent.

But sovereignty arguments get harder to sustain when the same government is publicly shielding officials the U.S. says were on a cartel's payroll. If Sheinbaum wants full control over enforcement inside Mexico, the burden falls on her government to prove it can and will act against cartel infiltration at the state level, not just object to Washington acting alone.

The Other Front: ICE Litigation

This dispute isn't happening in isolation. Sheinbaum's government has separately announced it will pursue legal action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the deaths of Mexican migrants in detention centers and during raids, according to Breitbart Texas. That announcement, paired with her comments on the Zambada arrest, signals a broader posture of pushing back on U.S. conduct across multiple fronts at once, even as her own government faces pressure over cartel ties within its ranks.

What's Still Unresolved

No U.S. agency has publicly detailed exactly what information, if any, was withheld from Mexican counterparts before the Zambada operation. No independent audit of the leaked photographs has established the precise nature of any coordination between U.S. agents and the Chapitos faction. And Rocha Moya has not been convicted of anything; the DOJ indictment contains allegations, not proven facts.

The Sinaloa turf war triggered by the Zambada split has produced thousands of murders, kidnappings, and forced disappearances since 2024. That toll continues while Mexico City and Washington argue over who set the fire and who gets to put it out.