<![CDATA[EL PAÍS]]>https://english.elpais.comMon, 04 May 2026 14:14:44 +0000en1hourly1<![CDATA[Spain, Brazil, and Mexico strengthen their alliance and pledge to send aid to Cuba to alleviate the humanitarian crisis]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-04-20/spain-brazil-and-mexico-strengthen-their-alliance-and-pledge-to-send-aid-to-cuba-to-alleviate-the-humanitarian-crisis.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-04-20/spain-brazil-and-mexico-strengthen-their-alliance-and-pledge-to-send-aid-to-cuba-to-alleviate-the-humanitarian-crisis.htmlMon, 20 Apr 2026 14:59:01 +0000Spain, Mexico, and Brazil have reaffirmed their diplomatic rapprochement following the summit of progressive leaders in Barcelona this weekend and are joining forces to denounce U.S. pressure on Cuba. The three countries called for dialogue in the face of the threat of military intervention on the island and pledged in a joint declaration to increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to address the “dramatic situation facing the Cuban people” after three months of energy cuts imposed by the Trump administration.

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]]>Nacho Doce<![CDATA[Inside Epstein’s web: The 137 men and women who reveal how his international network of power and influence operated]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-04-18/inside-epsteins-web-the-137-men-and-women-who-reveal-how-his-international-network-of-power-and-influence-operated.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-04-18/inside-epsteins-web-the-137-men-and-women-who-reveal-how-his-international-network-of-power-and-influence-operated.htmlSat, 18 Apr 2026 04:30:00 +0000May 1, 2011 was a day like any other on the agenda of Jeffrey Epstein, less than two years after leaving the Florida jail where he served time for procuring a minor for prostitution. This is how that day played out, according to declassified documents from the U.S. government: at 9:30 a.m., breakfast with the diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen. At 11 a.m., a meeting with Nick Ribis, a former executive for Donald Trump’s hotels. At 1 p.m., an appointment with the journalist Michael Wolff. At 5 p.m., another appointment with Howard Lutnick, current U.S. Secretary of Commerce. At 6:30 p.m., dinner with the filmmaker Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, along with other guests like the neuroscientist Steve Kosslyn and hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin. At 8:30 p.m., another dinner in the home of designer Vera Wang.

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]]><![CDATA[The lives uprooted by Argentina’s dictatorship and rebuilt in Spain: ‘I am a child of exile’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-24/the-lives-uprooted-by-argentinas-dictatorship-and-rebuilt-in-spain-i-am-a-child-of-exile.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-24/the-lives-uprooted-by-argentinas-dictatorship-and-rebuilt-in-spain-i-am-a-child-of-exile.htmlTue, 24 Mar 2026 18:37:26 +0000Diego Fernando Botto and Cristina Rota met at an acting workshop in Buenos Aires. After performing in a play together, they fell in love. In 1974, their daughter María was born, and a year later they had their second child, Juan Diego. Botto’s teacher believed he was the best in his class and that he would go far. He was a talented and handsome young man. Those who knew him in Argentina described him as optimistic, energetic, and fun-loving.

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]]>MOEH ATITAR<![CDATA[How organized crime recruits children in Belgium: Easy money, emojis, and threats ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-16/how-organized-crime-recruits-children-in-belgium-easy-money-emojis-and-threats.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-16/how-organized-crime-recruits-children-in-belgium-easy-money-emojis-and-threats.htmlTue, 16 Dec 2025 10:40:20 +0000The job involves smuggling the drugs out as quickly as possible without being seen. After the cocaine arrives camouflaged within the enormous flow of legal goods or hidden on ships at the port terminal, the couriers enter the scene. Sometimes, after jumping the fence. On other occasions, after waiting for days in containers equipped with toilets, sleeping bags, and junk food, or food that’s easy to cook. In Belgium and the Netherlands, home to the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, the largest in Europe, they are called uithalers (extractors, in Dutch). And it’s a phenomenon that has put authorities on alert because criminal organizations have expanded their recruitment networks. Increasingly, young people, even minors, are being sought out to carry out these tasks, one of the most dangerous links in the drug trafficking chain.

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]]>OLIVIER HOSLET<![CDATA[Venezuela’s María Corina Machado appears in Oslo after a year in hiding]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-11/maria-corina-machado-arrives-in-oslo-after-a-year-in-hiding.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-11/maria-corina-machado-arrives-in-oslo-after-a-year-in-hiding.htmlThu, 11 Dec 2025 09:54:05 +0000A life of clandestinity is over for María Corina Machado. After more than a year in hiding for security reasons, the Venezuelan opposition leader, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, arrived in Oslo at midnight on Thursday. At around 2:30 a.m., Machado, who had not left her country for 14 years, appeared on the balcony of the Grand Hotel and greeted the crowd waiting for her in the street, with whom she sang the Venezuelan national anthem.

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]]>Leonhard Foeger<![CDATA[María Corina Machado’s daughter, upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize: ‘Democracy is essential for peace’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-10/maria-corina-machados-daughter-upon-receiving-the-nobel-peace-prize-democracy-is-essential-for-peace.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-10/maria-corina-machados-daughter-upon-receiving-the-nobel-peace-prize-democracy-is-essential-for-peace.htmlWed, 10 Dec 2025 20:33:13 +0000A deafening silence fell over Oslo City Hall at 1 p.m. The audience rose from their seats. The members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee took their places on the podium. And the trumpets began to sound in a solemn and triumphant tone to announce that the moment had finally arrived. Amid enormous anticipation, María Corina Machado, the main symbol of the Venezuelan opposition and the most uncomfortable figure for Nicolás Maduro’s government, was recognized on Wednesday with the Nobel Peace Prize “for her tireless work in promoting the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and for her struggle to achieve a peaceful and just transition from dictatorship to democracy.” Machado, the main protagonist of the gala, was also the notable absentee. The 58-year-old opposition leader managed to leave Venezuela after being confined to hiding for 16 months, but she was unable to make it to Norway in time to receive the most important award of her political career in person.

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]]><![CDATA[Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado manages to leave Venezuela: ‘I will be in Oslo, I’m on my way’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-10/nobel-peace-prize-laureate-maria-corina-machado-manages-to-leave-venezuela-i-will-be-in-oslo-im-on-my-way.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-10/nobel-peace-prize-laureate-maria-corina-machado-manages-to-leave-venezuela-i-will-be-in-oslo-im-on-my-way.htmlWed, 10 Dec 2025 12:04:16 +0000Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, has managed to leave Venezuela to travel to Oslo, the Norwegian capital, although she will not be able to attend the award ceremony Wednesday, according to the Norwegian Nobel Institute. “She has done everything in her power to come to the ceremony today. A journey in a situation of extreme danger. Although she will not be able to reach the ceremony and today’s events, we are profoundly happy to confirm that she is safe and that she will be with us in Oslo,“ the organization said in a brief statement.

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]]>GORM KALLESTAD<![CDATA[María Corina Machado’s Nobel Prize thrusts the Venezuelan opposition onto the world stage]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-09/maria-corina-machados-nobel-prize-thrusts-the-venezuelan-opposition-onto-the-world-stage.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-09/maria-corina-machados-nobel-prize-thrusts-the-venezuelan-opposition-onto-the-world-stage.htmlTue, 09 Dec 2025 20:42:00 +0000A mix of immense anticipation, excitement, and a touch of disbelief has gripped icy Oslo in recent hours. Isabel seeks refuge from the cold as she proudly walks through the streets of the Norwegian capital, carrying the Venezuelan flag. She has just arrived from Stockholm to witness what she considers will be a historic moment for her country: the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to opposition leader María Corina Machado.

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]]>Lise Aserud<![CDATA[Venezuelans raising their torches to celebrate María Corina Machado’s Nobel Prize]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-09/venezuelans-raising-their-torches-to-celebrate-maria-corina-machados-nobel-prize.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-09/venezuelans-raising-their-torches-to-celebrate-maria-corina-machados-nobel-prize.htmlTue, 09 Dec 2025 11:52:26 +0000It is one of the most symbolic rituals in the Nobel Peace Prize celebrations. Following the award ceremony at Oslo City Hall, hundreds of people have taken to the streets of the Norwegian capital since 1954 to participate in the traditional torchlight procession, honoring each year’s winners and demonstrating that light always prevails in the darkness. This year’s event, however, was nearly canceled after the Norwegian Peace Council, a coalition of 17 civil society organizations, announced on October 24 that it would not be organizing the event, as it had in recent years, in protest against the decision to award the prize to María Corina Machado. The Council argued that the Venezuelan opposition leader’s profile was not “in line” with the values they represent. Amid the controversy, The Norwegian Venezuelan Justice Alliance, a small and little-known organization of Venezuelans residing in the Nordic country, stepped forward so that Machado could receive the same honor as her predecessors.

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]]><![CDATA[A crime in the US, a double life in Mexico and a verdict: The epilogue to the murder of Sue Ann Marcum is written 15 years after her death]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-12/a-crime-in-the-us-a-double-life-in-mexico-and-a-verdict-the-epilogue-to-the-murder-of-sue-ann-marcum-is-written-15-years-after-her-death.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-12/a-crime-in-the-us-a-double-life-in-mexico-and-a-verdict-the-epilogue-to-the-murder-of-sue-ann-marcum-is-written-15-years-after-her-death.htmlWed, 12 Nov 2025 13:55:45 +0000Police arrived at the crime scene after receiving a 911 call on the morning of October 25, 2010. Sue Ann Marcum, a 52-year-old accounting professor at American University, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs leading to the basement of her home in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. This marked the beginning of a case that took 15 years to resolve, until last October 30, when a jury in the United States found Jorge Rueda Landeros, a 56-year-old yoga instructor with whom the victim had a romantic and business relationship, guilty of Marcum’s second-degree murder.

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]]>Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office<![CDATA[Straitjackets and military aircraft: How the Trump administration is making dozens of migrants disappear in Africa]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-10-26/straitjackets-and-military-aircraft-how-the-trump-administration-is-making-dozens-of-migrants-disappear-in-africa.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-10-26/straitjackets-and-military-aircraft-how-the-trump-administration-is-making-dozens-of-migrants-disappear-in-africa.htmlSun, 26 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000The life of K.S., a Gambian citizen who uses a pseudonym for security reasons, changed abruptly on September 4, 2025. In the middle of the night, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents unexpectedly removed him from his cell at the Louisiana detention center where he was being held. He was not given any explanation: he was not allowed to call his lawyer, nor did agents provide him with any documentation.

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]]>Zakhele Mabuza<![CDATA[Tim Weiner, CIA journalist: ‘Trump is the greatest danger to American national security’]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-10-25/tim-weiner-cia-journalist-trump-is-the-greatest-danger-to-american-national-security.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-10-25/tim-weiner-cia-journalist-trump-is-the-greatest-danger-to-american-national-security.htmlSat, 25 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000The fascination Tim Weiner (New York, 69) has with the CIA began when he was just 13, when he caught a man writing down the license plate on his father’s car, a renowned psychiatrist and university professor, after the two attended a massive anti-Vietnam war protest in Washington D.C. After that incident, the family went through three years of aggressive tax audits.

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]]>SAMUEL SÁNCHEZ<![CDATA[The Cartel of the Suns, the criminal network pitting the US against Venezuela]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-08/the-cartel-of-the-suns-the-criminal-network-pitting-the-us-against-venezuela.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-08/the-cartel-of-the-suns-the-criminal-network-pitting-the-us-against-venezuela.htmlMon, 08 Sep 2025 09:15:50 +0000Brown eyes, black hair, standing at 6′2. Nicolás Maduro’s face appears in the foreground beneath eight large red numbers. This is the sum of money U.S. authorities are willing to pay for information leading to his arrest: $50 million (almost €43 million). However, the reward poster, published in early August, does not mention a single line about Maduro’s political career. He is not described as a dictator or as the architect of fraud in last year’s Venezuelan presidential elections, two recurring claims in Washington’s repertoire. Instead, Maduro is wanted for allegedy being—according to the White House — the leader of the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns), a narco-terrorism network that presumably reaches all the way to the very top of the Chavista regime and connects it with the most powerful criminal forces in Mexico and Colombia.

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]]><![CDATA[Annobón, the African island that wants independence... or to be part of Argentina]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-08-30/annobon-the-african-island-that-wants-independence-or-to-be-part-of-argentina.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-08-30/annobon-the-african-island-that-wants-independence-or-to-be-part-of-argentina.htmlSat, 30 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000Orlando Cartagena, 59, sits unobtrusively in a café in northern Madrid on a Sunday morning. No one around him knows who he is, where he comes from, or what he went through to get there. Just a month ago, Cartagena led the celebrations at the Círculo de Bellas Artes cultural center for the third anniversary of the Republic of Annobón, a small island of 6.5 square miles and about 5,000 inhabitants, whose declaration of independence from Equatorial Guinea has yet to be recognized by any country. “We are fighting for our freedom; we want to be free,” says Cartagena, who introduces himself as the prime minister of Annobón.

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]]><![CDATA[From Cambodia to Iran: The six (or seven) wars Trump claims to have ended in six months]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-08-20/from-cambodia-to-iran-the-six-or-seven-wars-trump-claims-to-have-ended-in-six-months.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-08-20/from-cambodia-to-iran-the-six-or-seven-wars-trump-claims-to-have-ended-in-six-months.htmlWed, 20 Aug 2025 07:41:59 +0000“I’ve solved six wars in six months.” That was U.S. President Donald Trump’s response to criticism of his role as mediator between Russia and Ukraine, just hours before receiving Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy and a delegation of European heads of state on Monday at the White House.

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]]>Kevin Lamarque<![CDATA[Edmundo González: ‘We continue the fight to restore the popular will in Venezuela’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-07-28/edmundo-gonzalez-we-continue-the-fight-to-restore-the-popular-will-in-venezuela.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-07-28/edmundo-gonzalez-we-continue-the-fight-to-restore-the-popular-will-in-venezuela.htmlMon, 28 Jul 2025 14:08:23 +0000The life of Edmundo González Urrutia, 75, has taken a tremendous turn in the last year. The presidential elections held in Venezuela on July 28, 2024 awarded the majority of votes to the opposition candidacy that he led, according to the voting tallies that were made public by the opposition but which Nicolás Maduro’s regime never recognized. Despite being recognized as the winner by more than a dozen countries around the world, González, a career diplomat, ended up taking refuge in two embassies in Caracas (first in that of the Netherlands, then Spain) before finally going into exile in Madrid. From the Spanish capital he is leading efforts to ensure that the will of Venezuelans as expressed at the polls last year is respected.

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]]>Jaime Villanueva<![CDATA[The secrecy of European arms sales, a practice justified in the name of national security ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-07-10/the-secrecy-of-european-arms-sales-a-practice-justified-in-the-name-of-national-security.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-07-10/the-secrecy-of-european-arms-sales-a-practice-justified-in-the-name-of-national-security.htmlThu, 10 Jul 2025 08:00:57 +0000The major arms-producing powers in Europe limit the information they make public to their citizens, delay the submission of reports on arms sales to other countries, or hinder transparency citing national security concerns. These are the conclusions of a report released at the end of June by the Asser Institute and the University of Amsterdam, which compares the legal frameworks of eight European countries — Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Sweden — that together account for one-third of global arms exports, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

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]]>Sean Gallup<![CDATA[Trump delays tariffs on most Mexican and Canadian goods after call with Sheinbaum]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-03-06/trump-delays-tariffs-on-most-mexican-goods-after-talks-with-sheinbaum.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-03-06/trump-delays-tariffs-on-most-mexican-goods-after-talks-with-sheinbaum.htmlThu, 06 Mar 2025 17:41:09 +0000The chaos surrounding Donald Trump’s tariff policy continues. Two days after announcing a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, the U.S. president posted on Truth Social that: “After speaking with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico,” he has agreed that “Mexico will not be required to pay Tariffs on anything that that falls under the USMCA Agreement,” and that the new extension would last until April 2. The USMCA is the sweeping free trade agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada, signed by Trump in 2020.

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]]>Samuel Corum<![CDATA[Twenty-nine cartel members handed over to Trump and dozens of cases in the US justice system: The background to an unprecedented operation]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-28/twenty-nine-cartel-members-handed-over-to-trump-and-dozens-of-cases-in-the-us-justice-system-the-background-to-an-unprecedented-operation.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-28/twenty-nine-cartel-members-handed-over-to-trump-and-dozens-of-cases-in-the-us-justice-system-the-background-to-an-unprecedented-operation.htmlFri, 28 Feb 2025 15:48:51 +0000Mexico has accelerated the extradition of dozens of drug lords to avoid the threat of tariffs from the Donald Trump administration. Claudia Sheinbaum’s security cabinet confirmed Thursday the transfer of 29 priority targets for the United States, moments before meeting with senior White House officials amid renewed tariff pressure from Washington. After an unprecedented operation, the list of those capos handed over to the U.S. includes names such as Rafael Caro Quintero, wanted for the murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985; José Ángel Canobbio Inzunza, alias “El Güero,” identified as one of the main financial operators of Los Chapitos, and the brothers Miguel Ángel and Omar Treviño Morales, alias Z-40 and Z-42, the last leaders of Los Zetas. Drug trafficking, homicide, money laundering, and organized crime are some of the charges that the extradited cartel members face in U.S. courts.

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]]><![CDATA[More brakes on Chinese investment and technology: This is how Mexico obtained the new tariff extension]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2025-02-27/more-brakes-on-chinese-investment-and-technology-this-is-how-mexico-obtained-the-new-tariff-extension.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2025-02-27/more-brakes-on-chinese-investment-and-technology-this-is-how-mexico-obtained-the-new-tariff-extension.htmlThu, 27 Feb 2025 08:20:36 +0000Mexico has received a new breath of fresh air as it deals with Donald Trump’s tariff threats. The U.S. president has postponed a general 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada until April 2. This is the second respite that the governments of Claudia Sheinbaum and Justin Trudeau have received after promising a series of actions aimed at stopping drug trafficking, illegal immigration and Asian imports. Sources familiar with the talks told EL PAÍS that the new deadline is subject to the Mexican government delivering new blows to the drug cartels, to greater control over Chinese investment, and to the imposition by Mexico of 25% tariffs on Chinese semiconductors and microchips.

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]]>David Peinado<![CDATA[Sheinbaum’s dilemma after ‘El Mayo’ Zambada’s latest letter: intervene or placate Trump]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-25/sheinbaums-dilemma-after-el-mayo-zambadas-latest-letter-intervene-or-placate-trump.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-25/sheinbaums-dilemma-after-el-mayo-zambadas-latest-letter-intervene-or-placate-trump.htmlTue, 25 Feb 2025 14:06:55 +0000Intervene in the case or favor caution in the relationship with the United States. That is the dilemma facing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum amid the controversy over the latest letter from Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. February 25 marks the deadline that Sheinbaum requested to respond to the request for repatriation from the former capo and founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, alleging violations of due process and claiming his arrest was “illegal.” Sheinbaum has stated that Zambada is somewhat justified in claiming that his capture by U.S authorities constituted a violation of the country’s sovereignty, but she is still analyzing the room for maneuver to deal with the matter amid permanent pressure from Donald Trump to toughen the fight against organized crime. The letter from El Mayo has also opened an internal front between those who interpret it as a “threat” from the capo and consider it unacceptable that the Mexican government accept the request, and sectors that have seen a political opportunity to criticize the position of the authorities.

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]]>José Méndez<![CDATA[Beyond the drug lords of Sinaloa and Jalisco: Trump’s blacklist designates six Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-02-14/beyond-the-drug-lords-of-sinaloa-and-jalisco-trumps-blacklist-designates-six-mexican-cartels-as-terrorist-organizations.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-02-14/beyond-the-drug-lords-of-sinaloa-and-jalisco-trumps-blacklist-designates-six-mexican-cartels-as-terrorist-organizations.htmlFri, 14 Feb 2025 11:20:24 +0000The first designations of Mexican cartels as terrorist groups are on the table. The Donald Trump administration is targeting the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), two of the most powerful criminal forces in the world, for a first round of sanctions, The New York Times reported. Pending an official announcement, other organizations with extensive influence in Mexico are also on the blacklist, such as La Familia Michoacana, the Gulf Cartel and the Cartel del Noreste (CDN), a splinter group of Los Zetas, as well as Cárteles Unidos, an amalgam of cells that operate in the south of the country. The paradigm shift heralds an unprecedented chapter in more than six decades of the war on drugs.

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]]><![CDATA[Terry Cole, a Latin American hawk, nominated as new head of the DEA]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-02-13/terry-cole-a-latin-american-hawk-nominated-as-new-head-of-the-dea.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-02-13/terry-cole-a-latin-american-hawk-nominated-as-new-head-of-the-dea.htmlThu, 13 Feb 2025 10:50:40 +0000More than two decades of experience; field missions in Afghanistan, Colombia and Mexico City, and an iron-fisted discourse against drug-trafficking networks south of the border. These are the credentials of Terrance “Terry” Cole, Donald Trump’s nominee as the next administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “Together we will save lives and make America safe again,” the Republican announced this week on Truth Social, his social network. The appointment, which still needs to be ratified, reinforces Washington’s hardline turn and sends a direct message to Latin America, from an old acquaintance. Cole retired as regional head for Mexico, Central America, and Canada in 2020 and is returning to join the team of hawks that Trump has formed to start a new chapter in the war on drugs: fighting cartels as terrorist organizations.

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]]><![CDATA[US spy planes spark controversy in Mexico: ‘We don’t know what they did' ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-12/us-spy-planes-spark-controversy-in-mexico-we-dont-know-what-they-did.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-12/us-spy-planes-spark-controversy-in-mexico-we-dont-know-what-they-did.htmlWed, 12 Feb 2025 08:46:52 +0000Spy planes, aerial surveillance near Mexican airspace, and Donald Trump’s war on drug cartels — these are at the center of the latest controversy unfolding in Mexico. Reports of unusual U.S. military aircraft activity have sparked concerns, and after a week of speculation, the Mexican government has finally addressed the issue. On Tuesday, Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration acknowledged for the first time that the Pentagon has conducted at least two reconnaissance missions since Trump took office — on January 31 and February 3.'

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]]>Jae C. Hong<![CDATA[‘What I need the most are AK-47s’: How the United States floods Mexico with weapons ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-12/what-i-need-the-most-are-ak-47s-how-the-united-states-floods-mexico-with-weapons.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-12/what-i-need-the-most-are-ak-47s-how-the-united-states-floods-mexico-with-weapons.htmlWed, 12 Feb 2025 07:38:27 +0000“What I need most are chivitos… and peanuts for the chivitos.”

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]]><![CDATA[Trump suspends tariffs on Mexico for a month after talks with Claudia Sheinbaum]]>https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2025-02-03/trump-suspends-tariffs-on-mexico-for-a-month-after-talks-with-claudia-sheinbaum.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2025-02-03/trump-suspends-tariffs-on-mexico-for-a-month-after-talks-with-claudia-sheinbaum.htmlMon, 03 Feb 2025 18:03:50 +0000The countdown for goods to stop moving freely across the U.S.-Mexico border has been stopped after Washington and Mexico City reached a last-minute agreement to halt the imposition of tariffs for a period of one month. “We had a good conversation with President [Donald] Trump, with a lot of respect for our nation and sovereignty,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The U.S. president confirmed the agreement. Trump is scheduled to speak later with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It is unknown whether there will also be a postponement of tariffs on the United States’ northern neighbor.

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]]>Marco Ugarte<![CDATA[From cartels to terrorists: Trump imposes a new paradigm on Mexico in the war on drugs]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-02/from-cartels-to-terrorists-trump-imposes-a-new-paradigm-on-mexico-in-the-war-on-drugs.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-02-02/from-cartels-to-terrorists-trump-imposes-a-new-paradigm-on-mexico-in-the-war-on-drugs.htmlSun, 02 Feb 2025 04:30:00 +0000“As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions, and that is exactly what I am going to do. We will do it at a level that nobody has ever seen before.” This is how Donald Trump announced an avalanche of decrees to address the migration crisis and the fight against organized crime during his inaugural address. After months of warnings, the Republican made his threats against Mexico concrete with a battery of heavy-handed measures that contained few surprises. “This already happened — it’s not something new,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, outlining the actions of the White House against immigration. There was, however, one notable exception: the designation of the cartels as terrorist organizations. The change heralds a new era in the war on drugs. It places unprecedented power in Trump’s hands as well as greater discretion and more weapons to pressure the Mexican authorities, who are on edge due to the risks to the country’s sovereignty and the impact on all critical areas of the bilateral relationship.

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]]><![CDATA[Secrecy, discretion and fear of a new crisis: The first deportation flights to Mexico in the Trump era]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-31/secrecy-discretion-and-fear-of-a-new-crisis-the-first-deportation-flights-to-mexico-in-the-trump-era.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-31/secrecy-discretion-and-fear-of-a-new-crisis-the-first-deportation-flights-to-mexico-in-the-trump-era.htmlFri, 31 Jan 2025 11:47:52 +0000“Promises made, promises kept. Deportation flights have begun.” This is how the White House announced the beginning of mass expulsions of immigrants by air on January 24, just four days after Donald Trump took office, along with a photograph of a line of people, handcuffed and shackled, boarding a plane. These images were at the center of the diplomatic crisis between the United States and Colombia two days later, amid complaints about the conditions of the transfers and trade threats. In Mexico, on the other hand, repatriation flights have maintained a low profile. President Claudia Sheinbaum broke the silence last Monday and acknowledged that four planes had been received during Trump’s first week in the Oval Office. Little else has come to light. The state in which migrants arrived in Mexican territory, how long they had been living in the United States, and where they have been transferred are unknown.

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]]>Matt Rourke<![CDATA[Deportation crisis: Mexico errs on the side of caution, Brazil summons US embassy chief]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-28/deportation-crisis-mexico-errs-on-the-side-of-caution-brazil-summons-us-embassy-chief.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-28/deportation-crisis-mexico-errs-on-the-side-of-caution-brazil-summons-us-embassy-chief.htmlTue, 28 Jan 2025 10:06:10 +0000All the elements that Mexico had anticipated for the worst-case scenario at the start of Donald Trump’s administration were there. The first deportations, the announcement of a tariff war, the mockery and provocations on social media. This time, however, it was Colombia and not the Mexican government that ended up being the protagonist of the first diplomatic conflict between the United States and Latin America over the migration crisis in the Trump era.

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]]><![CDATA[Designation of cartels as terrorist organizations fuels tension between Mexico and the US ahead of Trump’s inauguration]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-16/designation-of-cartels-as-terrorist-organizations-fuels-tension-between-mexico-and-the-us-ahead-of-trumps-inauguration.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-16/designation-of-cartels-as-terrorist-organizations-fuels-tension-between-mexico-and-the-us-ahead-of-trumps-inauguration.htmlThu, 16 Jan 2025 10:40:50 +0000The war on drugs has triggered the latest clash between Mexico and the United States with less than a week to go before Donald Trump returns to the White House. Marco Rubio, the next head of U.S. diplomacy, did not hold back at his appearance in the Senate on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing, where he said that organized crime dominates large portions of Mexican territory, despite the messages of containment sent by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government.

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]]>Nathan Howard<![CDATA[Trudeau’s resignation creates new challenges for Mexico in USMCA review]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-15/trudeaus-resignation-creates-new-challenges-for-mexico-in-usmca-review.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-15/trudeaus-resignation-creates-new-challenges-for-mexico-in-usmca-review.htmlWed, 15 Jan 2025 15:24:40 +0000“I want to put my country first.” “There is crime and chaos in our streets.” “I will do whatever it takes.” These statements are not from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, but from Pierre Poilievre, the frontrunner in Canada’s polls. Justin Trudeau’s resignation has triggered a race for his successor, opening up a host of uncertainties regarding the impact on the North American political landscape, already shaken by Trump’s return to the White House on January 20. Poilievre, the conservative candidate with a double-digit lead in voting intentions and dubbed the “Canadian Trump,” has raised new doubts about the future of the North American free trade agreement (USMCA), whose review was formally set to continue until 2026 but has been accelerated by the new political cycle in the U.S.

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]]>Marko Djurica<![CDATA[‘Mexico has a plan’: Sheinbaum addresses uncertainty a week before Trump returns to the White House]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-14/mexico-has-a-plan-sheinbaum-addresses-uncertainty-a-week-before-trump-returns-to-the-white-house.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-14/mexico-has-a-plan-sheinbaum-addresses-uncertainty-a-week-before-trump-returns-to-the-white-house.htmlTue, 14 Jan 2025 12:55:32 +0000After a wait of more than two months, the moment of truth is approaching. Donald Trump will be sworn in as U.S. president on January 20, and the Mexican government is in the decisive stages of defining its strategy for what comes next. “I am convinced that the relationship between Mexico and the United States will be good and respectful, and that dialogue will prevail,” said Claudia Sheinbaum when delivering the report for her first 100 days in power, in an event marked by the concerns raised by the return of the Republican magnate to the White House. The president left her participation in Trump’s inauguration up in the air having stated last week that she had not received a personal invitation from the transition team. Barring a last-minute change, it is most likely that the Mexican representation will be delegated to its diplomatic corps in Washington, given that the participation of heads of state or government in this type of ceremony is not customary, according to sources consulted by EL PAÍS.

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]]>Mario Guzmán<![CDATA[Heavy-handed threats and headline-grabbing moves: The ‘Trump Show’ reaches the war on drugs]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-01-08/heavy-handed-threats-and-headline-grabbing-moves-the-trump-show-reaches-the-war-on-drugs.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-01-08/heavy-handed-threats-and-headline-grabbing-moves-the-trump-show-reaches-the-war-on-drugs.htmlWed, 08 Jan 2025 11:13:01 +0000The United States will have a new president on January 20, but the impact of Donald Trump’s return is already beginning to be felt on both sides of the border. From the permanent pressure on the Mexican government to the promise of designating the drug cartels as terrorist groups and ending fentanyl trafficking, the Republican’s return to the White House anticipates a new chapter in the war on drugs, marked by tough talk, an obsession with linking immigration to the rise of organized crime, and the continuation of Washington’s crusade against the big drug bosses. “What he wants to project is not numbers or data, but the show: the spectacle of headline-grabbing blows against criminals, operations, statements against Mexican authorities,” says the foreign affairs expert Mauricio Meschoulam. “He is projecting that he will do everything in his power and that he will go to any lengths to get what he wants, and it is a threat that Mexico has to take very seriously,” adds this academic from the Universidad Iberoamericana.

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]]>Scott Olson<![CDATA[Los Chapitos buy time in negotiations to reach a plea deal]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-07/los-chapitos-buy-time-in-negotiations-to-reach-a-plea-deal.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-07/los-chapitos-buy-time-in-negotiations-to-reach-a-plea-deal.htmlTue, 07 Jan 2025 19:47:21 +0000The future of Los Chapitos remains uncertain. On Tuesday, U.S. authorities and lawyers representing Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons requested additional time to finalize plea agreement negotiations. During the latest hearing at the Northern District Court of Illinois in Chicago, both sides emphasized their focus on securing guilty pleas from the defendants to avoid a trial. Prosecutors expressed optimism about reaching an agreement with Ovidio Guzmán, also known as “El Ratón,” by February 27, the date of the next court hearing. However, discussions regarding Joaquín Guzmán, alias “El Güero,” are expected to take longer, with the next hearing set for March 19.

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]]><![CDATA[Los Chapitos set to appear in a Chicago court for a crucial hearing]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-01-07/los-chapitos-set-to-appear-in-a-chicago-court-for-a-crucial-hearing.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-01-07/los-chapitos-set-to-appear-in-a-chicago-court-for-a-crucial-hearing.htmlTue, 07 Jan 2025 09:53:29 +0000The sons of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán are preparing for a hearing that will determine their future. Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán have been summoned to appear before Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman on Tuesday to state whether they maintain their innocence or plead guilty to avoid going to trial in the Northern District Court of Illinois, in Chicago. This is the first time that both brothers, two of the four Chapitos, will have a joint hearing in the United States. On the other side of the border, Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán are fighting a battle against the men of Ismael El Mayo Zambada ― their father’s former partner ― for control of the Sinaloa Cartel, which has sown panic and chaos in Culiacán, the stronghold of the criminal organization.

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]]><![CDATA[Los Chapitos’ dual battle: Defeating El Mayo in Sinaloa and surviving US prosecution]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-06/los-chapitos-dual-battle-defeating-el-mayo-in-sinaloa-and-surviving-us-prosecution.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-06/los-chapitos-dual-battle-defeating-el-mayo-in-sinaloa-and-surviving-us-prosecution.htmlMon, 06 Jan 2025 15:31:07 +0000The future of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s heirs is divided by a border spanning more than 1,860 miles. In the United States, Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán López face a critical court hearing in Chicago on January 7, the deadline set by the judge for them to decide whether to plead guilty or proceed with separate legal defenses. Meanwhile, in Mexico, Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar are locked in a relentless war against the forces of their former ally, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, vying for control of the Sinaloa Cartel. These four brothers — two fugitives and two imprisoned — bear the weight of determining the immediate fate of one of the world’s most powerful and feared criminal empires.

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]]><![CDATA[The last ride of Ken Salazar, the ambassador in the cowboy hat]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-06/the-last-ride-of-ken-salazar-the-ambassador-in-the-cowboy-hat.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2025-01-06/the-last-ride-of-ken-salazar-the-ambassador-in-the-cowboy-hat.htmlMon, 06 Jan 2025 12:37:07 +0000After almost three years in office, the time has come to embark on the return trip. Ken Salazar is scheduled to give his last press conference this Monday as the United States representative in Mexico, following Donald Trump’s victory at the November elections and a torrent of tension between both countries in recent months. The farewell of the ambassador in the cowboy hat marks the beginning of a new political cycle in the bilateral relationship, and anticipates a drastic shift in Washington’s policy towards its neighbor: from strategic tolerance to permanent pressure; from talk of cooperation and shared responsibilities to threats and transactional agreements; from Salazar to Ronald Johnson, Trump’s new soldier on Mexican soil.

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]]>Mario Guzmán<![CDATA[From Venezuela to Trump: Sheinbaum returns Mexico to the front line of international politics]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-26/from-venezuela-to-trump-sheinbaum-returns-mexico-to-the-front-line-of-international-politics.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-26/from-venezuela-to-trump-sheinbaum-returns-mexico-to-the-front-line-of-international-politics.htmlThu, 26 Dec 2024 14:14:29 +0000The Mexican president arrived at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro with a declaration of intent. Claudia Sheinbaum held bilateral meetings with Joe Biden of the United States; Xi Jinping of China; Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron of France. She embraced Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva upon her arrival and sat down with Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Chilean leader Gabriel Boric to strengthen her alliance with progressive governments in Latin America. She also found time to talk with members of MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, and Australia) and to present to the main world leaders her proposal to allocate 1% of military spending to reforestation programs to combat climate change. After a six-year absence and despite a few exceptions, the Mexican government returned to the front line of international politics.

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]]>José Méndez<![CDATA[Ronald Johnson, Trump’s hawk in Mexico]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-12-16/ronald-johnson-trumps-hawk-in-mexico.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-12-16/ronald-johnson-trumps-hawk-in-mexico.htmlMon, 16 Dec 2024 09:22:49 +0000One month after his election victory, Donald Trump has ended the speculation. Last week, the president-elect announced his choice of retired Colonel Ronald Johnson, a former Green Beret with extensive experience in U.S. intelligence, as the next ambassador to Mexico. “Together, we will put an end to migrant crime, stop the illegal flow of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our country and, make America safe again,” Trump declared about his latest move in what has already become a tense chess game with Mexican authorities.

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]]><![CDATA[The Salvadoran trail of Ronald Johnson, Trump’s man for Mexico]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-12-12/the-salvadoran-trail-of-ronald-johnson-trumps-man-for-mexico.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-12-12/the-salvadoran-trail-of-ronald-johnson-trumps-man-for-mexico.htmlThu, 12 Dec 2024 09:17:18 +0000Nayib Bukele had mixed emotions. He smiled as he stood for official photographs, but the Salvadorian president admitted he was filled with sadness and nostalgia. “A great friend is leaving,” Bukele declared on January 18, 2021, at the farewell ceremony he organized for Ronald Johnson, the U.S. ambassador. Just two days before Johnson was set to leave, Bukele honored him with the National Order José Matías Delgado, Grand Cross Silver Plate — one of the highest decorations in El Salvador. At the same event, Johnson also became the first recipient of the newly created Grand Order Francisco Morazán, an insignia specifically designed to commemorate his brief stay of less than two years.

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]]><![CDATA[Fame, money and ties to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel: The clues behind the murder of Jesús Pérez Alvear]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-06/fame-money-and-ties-to-the-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-the-clues-behind-the-murder-of-jesus-perez-alvear.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-06/fame-money-and-ties-to-the-jalisco-new-generation-cartel-the-clues-behind-the-murder-of-jesus-perez-alvear.htmlFri, 06 Dec 2024 17:14:53 +0000The execution lasted less than a minute. The gunmen opened fire in a restaurant in Plaza Miyana in Polanco, one of the most luxurious neighborhoods of Mexico City, and by the time emergency services arrived it was too late. The attack shook the capital, which has repeatedly taken refuge under the illusion that drug violence is a phenomenon that affects only the states in the interior of the country. But when the authorities confirmed the identity of the victim on Thursday, the case took on another dimension. It concerns 40-year-old music promoter Jesús Pérez Alvear, “Chucho,” known for representing and dealing with superstars of the Mexican regional genre such as Julión Álvarez and Gerardo Ortiz, although also for having been in the sights of the U.S. authorities for years. Washington had accused him of laundering money for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), including him on the so-called “black list” of the Treasury Department and issuing an arrest warrant to bring him to trial two years ago. On December 4, he was shot dead at point-blank range while he was eating with two men and a woman.

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]]><![CDATA[Mexico’s Sheinbaum sends security czar to deal with violence crisis in Sinaloa]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-05/mexicos-sheinbaum-sends-security-czar-to-deal-with-violence-crisis-in-sinaloa.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-05/mexicos-sheinbaum-sends-security-czar-to-deal-with-violence-crisis-in-sinaloa.htmlThu, 05 Dec 2024 11:26:23 +0000Mexican authorities announced the largest seizure of fentanyl in history at a critical time for the country’s security. An operation led by the Navy resulted in the seizure of a ton and a half of synthetic drug pills, the equivalent of 20 million doses and worth $400 million. The latest blow to organized crime took place in the state of Sinaloa, the historic epicenter of drug trafficking in Mexico, and just on the verge of crossing the threshold of 500 murders after three months of uninterrupted violence as a result of the greatest fracture suffered in over a decade by the cartel founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. President Claudia Sheinbaum took pride in the haul and announced on Wednesday that Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security and architect of her policy against the violence crisis, had traveled to Sinaloa to personally coordinate the strategy on the ground. The president declared that there will be “zero tolerance,” a direct response to the criticism she has received since the start of her administration, and to pressure from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who is demanding more forceful action in the fight against criminal groups.

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]]>Sáshenka Gutiérrez<![CDATA[The United States raises reward for El Mencho to $15 million ]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-12-04/the-united-states-raises-reward-for-el-mencho-to-15-million.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-12-04/the-united-states-raises-reward-for-el-mencho-to-15-million.htmlWed, 04 Dec 2024 18:28:57 +0000The United States has put a new price on the capture of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho. On Tuesday, the White House increased the reward for the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — one of the world’s most powerful criminal organization — to $15 million. This amount surpasses the reward offered for Los Chapitos, the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and matches the reward for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as well as the amount once offered for Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, who was arrested earlier this year.

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]]><![CDATA[Mexican city rocked by explosion amid Los Mayos and Los Chapitos cartel war ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-03/mexican-city-rocked-by-explosion-amid-los-mayos-and-los-chapitos-cartel-war.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-03/mexican-city-rocked-by-explosion-amid-los-mayos-and-los-chapitos-cartel-war.htmlTue, 03 Dec 2024 19:00:37 +0000A powerful explosion rocked Culiacán early on Tuesday morning, amid the ongoing battle between Los Mayos and Los Chapitos for control of the Sinaloa Cartel. Although there were no reported injuries, numerous reports of gunshots and explosions have emerged throughout the state capital in northwestern Mexico over the last few hours. The violence has already led to at least four murders, according to local media.

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]]>José Betanzos Zárate <![CDATA[Mexico’s Gulf Cartel expands into US waters: Human smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal fishing]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-27/mexicos-gulf-cartel-expands-into-us-waters-human-smuggling-drug-trafficking-and-illegal-fishing.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-27/mexicos-gulf-cartel-expands-into-us-waters-human-smuggling-drug-trafficking-and-illegal-fishing.htmlWed, 27 Nov 2024 10:22:01 +0000The sale of red snapper may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the Gulf Cartel, but it has become one of the Mexican cartel’s most lucrative businesses. This was revealed by the latest round of sanctions from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which on Tuesday added five individuals linked to the cartel to its so-called “black list.” These individuals are involved in a complex scheme that includes illegal fishing, human smuggling and drug trafficking. The illegal trade has not only heightened tensions along the maritime border between the U.S. and Mexico, but it has also taken a toll on the ecosystem and the survival of other species in the Gulf of Mexico. The region has become an expansive and highly profitable territory for the black market, while drug traffickers continue to boost their earnings.

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]]>uscg<![CDATA[The first battle: Claudia Sheinbaum moves against Trump’s immigration policy]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-22/the-first-battle-claudia-sheinbaum-moves-against-trumps-immigration-policy.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-22/the-first-battle-claudia-sheinbaum-moves-against-trumps-immigration-policy.htmlFri, 22 Nov 2024 10:12:50 +0000The tightening of the United States’ immigration policy is at the heart of Mexico’s concerns. This has been made clear by the statements of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has already activated her Cabinet to seek alternatives to temper Donald Trump’s heavy-handed discourse and his campaign promise to deport up to one million immigrants in an irregular situation each year. Although there are still two months left until the Republican’s inauguration, the Mexican government is already working on documents to demonstrate with hard data the contributions of the Mexican diaspora to the economy of both countries, as well as the benefits of the trade agreement between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada (T-MEC), which will be reviewed in 2026. The signals that Sheinbaum has sent, however, indicate that the migration crisis is for now the priority front for Mexico and the first major obstacle to be resolved in the bilateral relationship. “We do not agree that migrants should be treated as criminals,” said the president in her most recent press conference.

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]]>Jose Luis Gonzalez<![CDATA[US targets financial structure of Mexican cartel CJNG and includes nine partners on the Treasury’s ‘black list’]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-11-21/us-targets-financial-structure-of-mexican-cartel-cjng-and-includes-nine-partners-on-the-treasurys-black-list.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-11-21/us-targets-financial-structure-of-mexican-cartel-cjng-and-includes-nine-partners-on-the-treasurys-black-list.htmlThu, 21 Nov 2024 08:35:32 +0000The United States has delivered a new blow to the financial structure of the Mexican criminal organization Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The Treasury Department announced on Tuesday that it was including nine members of the Bonques Brothers, key allies of CJNG in the Mexican state of Nayarit, on the so-called “black list” of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). As a result of these measures, which are part of Washington’s offensive to stop fentanyl trafficking from Mexico, the designees’ banking assets have been frozen. Being on the “black list” means losing access to bank accounts in the international financial system and a freeze on properties and companies incorporated in their name, crucial for the transfer of money from illegal businesses to front companies.

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]]><![CDATA[‘Mexico is not safe’: Ken Salazar takes hardest stance yet on violence crisis]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-14/mexico-is-not-safe-ken-salazar-takes-hardest-stance-yet-on-violence-crisis.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-14/mexico-is-not-safe-ken-salazar-takes-hardest-stance-yet-on-violence-crisis.htmlThu, 14 Nov 2024 14:50:38 +0000“Mexico is not safe.” “Republican austerity could worsen security.” “The ‘hugs, not bullets’ strategy did not work.” These were some of the pointed remarks delivered by Ken Salazar during his Wednesday press conference. As he approaches the end of his tenure, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico has chosen to voice his concerns openly, highlighting the violence crisis gripping Mexico and the security breakdowns that have strained bilateral relations in recent months.

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]]>Raquel Cunha<![CDATA[The psychological war in Sinaloa: ‘I’ve never felt so sad and hopeless’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-12/the-psychological-war-in-sinaloa-ive-never-felt-so-sad-and-hopeless.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-12/the-psychological-war-in-sinaloa-ive-never-felt-so-sad-and-hopeless.htmlTue, 12 Nov 2024 16:59:20 +0000It was a normal day. Diana, 30, woke up early to go to work, leaving her phone on airplane mode, unaware that nothing would be the same after that September 9 in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico. Things had gotten so bad that even conversations at home revolved around it. “It’s ugly out there, what do you think? It’s probably another culiacanazo,” they said, in reference to the outbreak of violence following two attempts to arrest Ovidio Guzmán — the son of the notorious drug trafficker, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — in 2019 and 2023.

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]]>IDALIA CANDELAS <![CDATA[Narco-violence, fear and politics: Specter of terrorism looms over relationship between Mexico and the United States]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-04/narco-violence-fear-and-politics-specter-of-terrorism-looms-over-relationship-between-mexico-and-the-united-states.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-11-04/narco-violence-fear-and-politics-specter-of-terrorism-looms-over-relationship-between-mexico-and-the-united-states.htmlMon, 04 Nov 2024 20:50:40 +0000Two car bombs in Guanajuato. The decapitation of the mayor of Chilpancingo. The discovery of a dismembered body abandoned in a cooler wrapped with gift bows in Sinaloa. In the midst of a spiral that left almost 200,000 people dead during the last six-year term, violence has reached levels of sophistication and barbarity that go beyond what statistics are able to record. The security crisis has been the main challenge at the beginning of Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration and has placed Mexico at the forefront of a discussion as uncomfortable as it is delicate: can the events of the last few weeks be considered acts of terrorism? It is not just a label. The debate has resurfaced at a critical moment: on the eve of the U.S. election, in an atmosphere of complete distrust and reproaches between the two countries, and in view of the possibility of victory for a candidate — Donald Trump — who has for years pursued the idea of naming drug cartels as terrorist groups, with potentially disastrous consequences.

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]]>Jesus Bustamante<![CDATA[Mexico’s questions over El Mayo’s capture are testing the patience of the United States]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-30/mexicos-questions-over-el-mayos-capture-test-the-patience-of-the-united-states.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-30/mexicos-questions-over-el-mayos-capture-test-the-patience-of-the-united-states.htmlWed, 30 Oct 2024 12:42:25 +0000“What happened in Sinaloa should be celebrated.” That’s how U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar responded to the latest wave of questions from Mexico regarding the lack of information surrounding the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

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]]>José Méndez<![CDATA[El Chapo plays his last cards from prison: ‘The inefficiency of my lawyers cost me my freedom’]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-10-28/el-chapo-plays-his-last-cards-from-prison-the-inefficiency-of-my-lawyers-cost-me-my-freedom.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-10-28/el-chapo-plays-his-last-cards-from-prison-the-inefficiency-of-my-lawyers-cost-me-my-freedom.htmlMon, 28 Oct 2024 09:06:28 +0000“I have been extradited to the United States for more than seven years and to this day, I have not seen the sun.” So begins one of the handwritten letters from Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, sent from the maximum-security prison in Florence, Colorado, where he is serving a life sentence following his 2019 conviction. The 67-year-old — one of the world’s most notorious criminals — has repeatedly expressed grievances about his treatment by U.S. authorities, describing the conditions of his confinement as “great torture, 24 hours a day.”

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]]>Reuters<![CDATA[Jane Rosenberg, sketch artist of the condemned: ‘We love to see the rich and famous fall’ ]]>https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-10-27/jane-rosenberg-sketch-artist-of-the-condemned-we-love-to-see-the-rich-and-famous-fall.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-10-27/jane-rosenberg-sketch-artist-of-the-condemned-we-love-to-see-the-rich-and-famous-fall.htmlSun, 27 Oct 2024 04:05:00 +0000Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Epstein, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Mick Jagger, Martha Stewart, Woody Allen, John Lennon’s killer… Jane Rosenberg has drawn them all.

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]]>Jane Rosenberg<![CDATA[Car bomb attacks signal escalation of cartel violence in Mexico ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-25/car-bomb-attacks-signal-escalation-of-cartel-violence-in-mexico.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-25/car-bomb-attacks-signal-escalation-of-cartel-violence-in-mexico.htmlFri, 25 Oct 2024 08:55:34 +0000Cartel violence is gripping Mexico. In the state of Guerrero, the mayor of Chilpancingo was decapitated. In Sinaloa, a truck was discovered with at least five bodies along with the ominous message “Welcome to Culiacán.” And now Guanajuato has been shaken by two explosions.

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]]>Ivan Arias<![CDATA[‘El Max,’ cell leader in ‘El Mayo’ Zambada’s faction, arrested in Sinaloa shootout with 19 dead]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-23/el-max-cell-leader-in-el-mayo-zambadas-faction-arrested-in-sinaloa-shootout-with-19-dead.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-23/el-max-cell-leader-in-el-mayo-zambadas-faction-arrested-in-sinaloa-shootout-with-19-dead.htmlWed, 23 Oct 2024 18:28:29 +0000Inter-factional violence within the Sinaloa Cartel has reached a new high point. The Mexican Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) confirmed the capture of Edwin Antonio Rubio López, also known as “El Max” or “El Oso,” after a pitched battle between soldiers and cartel members that left 19 attackers dead. It was the bloodiest armed confrontation that has occurred in seven weeks of open war between the factions of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Los Chapitos, led by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, for control of the Sinaloa Cartel. El Max was considered a mid-level operator in El Mayo’s structure, said security analysts consulted by this newspaper, but he has been singled out as one of the greatest “generators of violence” in recent weeks by Sedena. The clash between law enforcement and cartel members affiliated with Zambada took place in the rural community of Plan de Oriente, 11 kilometers (seven miles) east of Culiacán.

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]]>José Betanzos Zárate <![CDATA[Los Chapitos’ lawyer confirms Joaquín and Ovidio Guzmán are considering a plea deal with the United States]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-21/los-chapitos-lawyer-confirms-joaquin-and-ovidio-guzman-are-negotiating-deal-with-the-united-states.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-21/los-chapitos-lawyer-confirms-joaquin-and-ovidio-guzman-are-negotiating-deal-with-the-united-states.htmlMon, 21 Oct 2024 17:48:30 +0000The sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán are considering a plea deal with the U.S. justice system. This was confirmed on Monday by the Guzmán family’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, putting an end to weeks of speculation regarding a potential plea deal for Los Chapitos. Lichtman made these revelations during the initial hearing of Ovidio Guzmán, also known as El Ratón, in a Chicago court, following the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, Ovidio’s older brother, at the end of July. Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman has scheduled a joint hearing for both brothers on January 7.

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]]><![CDATA[Mexico’s fallen narco boss ‘El Mayo’ to face same US judge who sentenced ‘El Chapo’ and ex-drug czar]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-18/mexicos-fallen-narco-boss-el-mayo-to-face-same-us-judge-who-sentenced-el-chapo-and-ex-drug-czar.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-18/mexicos-fallen-narco-boss-el-mayo-to-face-same-us-judge-who-sentenced-el-chapo-and-ex-drug-czar.htmlFri, 18 Oct 2024 08:26:45 +0000New York is ready for Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. After a historic sentence against Mexico’s former drug czar Genaro García Luna, the time has come for the co-founder and “boss of bosses” of the Sinaloa Cartel to face a Brooklyn court. The 76-year-old drug kingpin will on Friday face, for the first time, Judge Brian Cogan — the same judge who sentenced Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2019 and García Luna this week.

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]]>Elizabeth Williams<![CDATA[US takes down Mexico’s former drug czar: Genaro García Luna sentenced to 38 years in prison for taking cartel bribes]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-10-16/genaro-garcia-luna-is-sentenced-to-38-years-in-prison-for-drug-trafficking-and-organized-crime.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-10-16/genaro-garcia-luna-is-sentenced-to-38-years-in-prison-for-drug-trafficking-and-organized-crime.htmlThu, 17 Oct 2024 07:39:08 +0000Mexico’s former drug czar was escorted by two U.S. marshals to learn his fate. Genaro García Luna wore a dark suit, as he did when he was the Secretary of Public Security and a man trusted by former President Felipe Calderón. He placed his notes on the table and stared at the sheets of paper, as he silently reviewed each word he was about to say in his head. All eyes in the courtroom were on him: the architect of the war on drugs was sitting for the last time in the dock for collaborating for more than two decades with the Sinaloa Cartel, and risked spending the rest of his life in prison.

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]]>Moisés Pablo Nava<![CDATA[Mexico’s drug world comes to Brooklyn: El Mayo and García Luna will be in the same New York court one day apart]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-10-02/mexicos-drug-world-comes-to-brooklyn-el-mayo-and-garcia-luna-will-be-in-the-same-new-york-court-one-day-apart.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-10-02/mexicos-drug-world-comes-to-brooklyn-el-mayo-and-garcia-luna-will-be-in-the-same-new-york-court-one-day-apart.htmlWed, 02 Oct 2024 18:51:17 +0000Two high-profile drug traffickers will attend hearings at the Eastern District Court of New York. A last-minute adjustment to the calendar means that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Genaro García Luna will appear before the same court in Brooklyn, one day apart. García Luna — Mexico’s former secretary of public security, who was convicted for accepting bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel — will be sentenced on October 16. While Zambada — the 76-year-old co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel —will have his first hearing before Judge Cogan on October 17.

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]]><![CDATA[Spain’s King Felipe excluded from Mexican president’s inauguration over silence to request for apology for Spanish conquest ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-25/spains-king-felipe-excluded-from-mexican-presidents-inauguration-over-silence-to-request-for-apology-for-spanish-conquest.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-25/spains-king-felipe-excluded-from-mexican-presidents-inauguration-over-silence-to-request-for-apology-for-spanish-conquest.htmlWed, 25 Sep 2024 16:47:46 +0000Claudia Sheinbaum, the president-elect of Mexico, confirmed that she did not invite Spain’s King Felipe to her inauguration because he did not respond to the letter sent by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which demanded an apology for the excesses committed during the Spanish conquest of the Americas.

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]]>Félix Márquez<![CDATA[The trail of El Mayo and Los Chapitos in Sinaloa: Narco-blockades, executions and more than 50 dead]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-23/the-trail-of-el-mayo-and-los-chapitos-in-sinaloa-narco-blockades-executions-and-more-than-50-dead.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-23/the-trail-of-el-mayo-and-los-chapitos-in-sinaloa-narco-blockades-executions-and-more-than-50-dead.htmlMon, 23 Sep 2024 16:13:06 +0000A military unit was patrolling the dirt roads of the El Barrio neighborhood in eastern Culiacán early in the morning of September 17 when they found the bodies of two men who had been executed. Their corpses were found face down in a puddle, wrapped in blankets, with signs of torture. Toy cars and a yellow plastic tray were placed on top of their bodies, according to witnesses and local journalists. Just two days earlier, five people were found murdered, all with their hands tied behind their backs and with small hats placed on their heads, on Mexico Highway 15. A scene almost identical in nature was discovered on September 22, on the same stretch of road, which has become the epicenter of violence between warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.

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]]><![CDATA[The US stirs up the hornet’s nest of drug trafficking in Mexico]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-20/the-us-stirs-up-the-hornets-nest-of-drug-trafficking-in-mexico.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-20/the-us-stirs-up-the-hornets-nest-of-drug-trafficking-in-mexico.htmlFri, 20 Sep 2024 09:06:27 +0000All the latest news involving Mexico’s narcos are taking place in the United States. The Attorney General’s Office for the Eastern District of New York on Thursday asked that Genaro García Luna, who served as Mexico’s drug czar from 2006 to 2012 but was convicted last year of taking bribes from the Sinaloa cartel, be sentenced to life behind bars and pay $5 million for engaging in a criminal drug enterprise, taking part in various conspiracies and making false statements. His sentence is due to be announced on October 9 in a Brooklyn federal court. Meanwhile, Ismael El Mayo Zambada is expected to appear in that same court and before the same judge three weeks later, on October 31. And 300 kilometers to the south, in Washington, a jury is already deliberating on the verdict of Rubén Oseguera El Menchito, son of Nemesio Oseguera El Mencho, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. And before the end of this month, Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo, has a date in court in Chicago, after weeks of speculation about his whereabouts.

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]]>Jane Rosenberg<![CDATA[Life stops in Sinaloa amidst war between El Mayo and Los Chapitos]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-16/life-stops-in-sinaloa-amidst-war-between-el-mayo-and-los-chapitos.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-16/life-stops-in-sinaloa-amidst-war-between-el-mayo-and-los-chapitos.htmlMon, 16 Sep 2024 10:57:17 +0000Every morning, Yazmín feels something in her chest that she finds difficult to describe. She gets in her car to start the day, while her daughter stays home. For the past week, she hasn’t wanted to take her little girl to school.

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]]>José Betanzos Zárate<![CDATA[Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada set to appear in New York courtroom]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-13/ismael-el-mayo-zambada-set-to-appear-in-new-york-courtroom.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-13/ismael-el-mayo-zambada-set-to-appear-in-new-york-courtroom.htmlFri, 13 Sep 2024 09:26:52 +0000Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García is scheduled to appear Friday morning at the Eastern District Court of New York (EDNY), the same courtroom where notorious Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Mexico’s former secretary of public security, Genaro García Luna, were tried and convicted. In court documents, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the 76-year-old — who co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel with El Chapo — posed “a danger to the community” and “a risk of flight,” and asked for the defendant to be held in pre-trial detention and heightened security measures.

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]]>Andrei Renteria<![CDATA[In Mexico, Sinaloa suspends Independence Day celebrations due to cartel violence]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-12/in-mexico-sinaloa-suspends-independence-day-celebrations-due-to-cartel-violence.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-12/in-mexico-sinaloa-suspends-independence-day-celebrations-due-to-cartel-violence.htmlThu, 12 Sep 2024 19:53:29 +0000The Mexican state of Sinaloa has suspended Independence Day celebrations on September 15 and classes at all educational levels for the remainder of the week. The measure applies to the cities of Culiacán, the state capital, Elota, Cosalá, and San Ignacio. The news was announced by the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya on Thursday.

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]]>José Betanzos Zárate <![CDATA[Violence spreads in Mexico amid fears Los Chapitos and El Mayo faction have ended truce]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-11/violence-spreads-in-mexico-amid-fears-los-chapitos-and-el-mayo-faction-have-ended-truce.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-11/violence-spreads-in-mexico-amid-fears-los-chapitos-and-el-mayo-faction-have-ended-truce.htmlWed, 11 Sep 2024 12:14:42 +0000A new wave of violence has raised fears in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, where there is concern that Los Chapitos — a cartel led by the sons of the notorious drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — and the armed group led by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada — the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel — have ended their truce.

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]]>José Betanzos Zárate <![CDATA[US ambassador reaffirms criticism of Mexico’s judicial reform: ‘If it is not done well, it can cause a lot of damage’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-04/us-ambassador-reaffirms-criticism-of-mexicos-judicial-reform-if-it-is-not-done-well-it-can-cause-a-lot-of-damage.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-04/us-ambassador-reaffirms-criticism-of-mexicos-judicial-reform-if-it-is-not-done-well-it-can-cause-a-lot-of-damage.htmlWed, 04 Sep 2024 09:25:55 +0000The election of judges, magistrates and ministers of the Mexican Supreme Court by direct popular vote has raised a new wall between the United States and Mexico. Ambassador Ken Salazar has moderated his tone, but maintains his earlier criticism of the judicial reform promoted by Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his party, Morena. “If it is not done well, it can cause a lot of damage to the relationship,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday. Salazar insisted that the decision on the future of the proposal is in the hands of the government and Congress of Mexico, and denied that Washington’s public position on the matter constitutes a violation of Mexican sovereignty. “There are many concerns,” he said, after two weeks of bilateral tensions and a controversial diplomatic “pause” declared by the Mexican president.

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]]>Daniel Augusto<![CDATA[López Obrador’s ‘diplomatic pause’ chills relations with the US and Canada]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-01/lopez-obradors-diplomatic-pause-chills-relations-with-the-us-and-canada.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-01/lopez-obradors-diplomatic-pause-chills-relations-with-the-us-and-canada.htmlSun, 01 Sep 2024 04:05:00 +0000“It is good, but it is on hold.” This is how Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador responded this week to a reporter’s question about the state of bilateral relations with the United States, after Ambassador Ken Salazar openly questioned the president’s judicial reform. “Pausing means that we are going to take our time,” added López Obrador, who also took aim at the Canadian representative, Ambassador Graeme C. Clark, who was collaterally affected by the controversy.

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]]><![CDATA[Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, historical leader of Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas, released from US prison]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-30/osiel-cardenas-guillen-historical-leader-of-gulf-cartel-and-los-zetas-released-from-us-prison.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-30/osiel-cardenas-guillen-historical-leader-of-gulf-cartel-and-los-zetas-released-from-us-prison.htmlFri, 30 Aug 2024 20:16:14 +0000The long wait for Osiel Cárdenas Guillén is over. The 57-year-old drug trafficker, a historical leader of the Gulf Cartel and a key figure in the rise of Los Zetas to the top leagues of the criminal world, was released this Friday after serving a 21-year prison sentence, according to the U.S. authorities.

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]]><![CDATA[Mexico authorities link Ovidio Guzmán to the kidnapping of ‘El Mayo’ Zambada]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-30/mexico-authorities-link-ovidio-guzman-to-the-kidnapping-of-el-mayo-zambada.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-30/mexico-authorities-link-ovidio-guzman-to-the-kidnapping-of-el-mayo-zambada.htmlFri, 30 Aug 2024 09:18:28 +0000The Mexico Attorney General’s Office (FGR) announced Thursday it is investigating the possible involvement of Ovidio Guzmán, alias “El Ratón,” in the kidnapping of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Guzmán, one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and a leader of the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited to the United States in September 2023 but has been listed as “released” by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons as of July 23, two days before the arrest of his brother, Joaquín “El Güero” Guzmán López, and Zambada at a rural airport in New Mexico. The FGR said it has evidence that El Ratón left a maximum-security prison that day, but acknowledged that it does not know his whereabouts or whether he is still in custody. The Attorney General’s Office said it is seeking to determine if he was involved in the capture of El Mayo, as well as his brother Joaquín, who remains the main suspect of having kidnapped Zambada, his godfather, to hand him over to the U.S. authorities.

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]]><![CDATA[Burning vehicles, armed clashes and narco-blockades: Cartels unleash chaos near Culiacán]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-30/burning-vehicles-armed-clashes-and-narco-blockades-cartels-unleash-chaos-near-culiacan.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-30/burning-vehicles-armed-clashes-and-narco-blockades-cartels-unleash-chaos-near-culiacan.htmlFri, 30 Aug 2024 10:36:09 +0000Dozens of trucks and buses burned. Armed confrontations between members of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Mexican army. Narco-blockades on the main access roads and highways: violence broke out Thursday in Culiacán, the capital of the state of Sinaloa, amid tensions following the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. The images sparked fears of a new Culiacanazo, the scenes of chaos, panic, and violence that plagued the city following two attempts to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, another of El Chapo’s sons and a leader of the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, in 2019 and 2023. The mayor, Juan de Dios Gámez, confirmed that there are “actions by the security forces of the Federal Government” in the area of Jesús María, north of the capital, although he said that the violent incidents are “focused.” “The situation that has arisen is being attended to and is focused outside the city,” confirmed Sinaloa State Governor Rubén Rocha Moya. Federal authorities have not commented.

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]]><![CDATA[Mexico issues arrest warrant for Joaquín Guzmán López over kidnapping of Sinaloa Cartel leader ‘El Mayo’ Zambada]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-22/mexico-issues-arrest-warrant-for-joaquin-guzman-lopez-over-kidnapping-of-sinaloa-cartel-leader-el-mayo-zambada.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-22/mexico-issues-arrest-warrant-for-joaquin-guzman-lopez-over-kidnapping-of-sinaloa-cartel-leader-el-mayo-zambada.htmlThu, 22 Aug 2024 11:24:19 +0000Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, is the main suspect in the kidnapping that led to the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada on U.S. soil in July, the Mexico Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) announced Wednesday. The FGR stated that an arrest warrant has been issued against Guzmán López for the crimes of kidnapping and treason. In an unexpected twist, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office gave credibility to a letter published by El Mayo regarding his arrest and the murder of Héctor Cuén, a Sinaloa politician for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) while dismissing the version of events provided by state authorities regarding the homicide. “The Prosecutor’s Office itself located the property where the probable crimes of illegal deprivation of liberty, homicides, injuries, and acts linked to forced disappearance were carried out, in which the aggression that led to the death of Hector ‘N’ [Cuén] is linked,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

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]]><![CDATA[Scandals, the shadow of El Mayo and the war against Governor Rocha: The tangled life and death of Héctor Cuén]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-19/scandals-the-shadow-of-el-mayo-and-the-war-against-governor-rocha-the-tangled-life-and-death-of-hector-cuen.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-19/scandals-the-shadow-of-el-mayo-and-the-war-against-governor-rocha-the-tangled-life-and-death-of-hector-cuen.htmlMon, 19 Aug 2024 17:00:31 +0000One crime, at least two versions of what happened, and three weeks of unanswered questions. The mystery surrounding the murder of Héctor Melesio Cuén has grown in the shadow of another scandal: the arrest in the United States of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons. Both were announced on July 25 within hours of each other, as unrelated events. Cuén, as everyone referred to him, was the rector of the most important public university in Sinaloa, where he built an empire that lasted almost 20 years; municipal president of Culiacán, the state capital; legislator of the local Congress, and founder and undisputed leader of his own political force, the Sinaloa Party (PAS). He boasted of being a successful businessman and of having been key to Governor Rubén Rocha Moya’s triumph in the 2021 state elections. He was weeks away from becoming a federal deputy, until he was shot four times and died after being taken to hospital, according to the main witness in the case.

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]]>Rashide Frias<![CDATA[Mexico Attorney General’s Office calls on US to hand over key evidence regarding arrest of ‘El Mayo’ Zambada]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-16/mexico-attorney-generals-office-calls-on-us-to-hand-over-key-evidence-regarding-arrest-of-el-mayo-zambada.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-16/mexico-attorney-generals-office-calls-on-us-to-hand-over-key-evidence-regarding-arrest-of-el-mayo-zambada.htmlFri, 16 Aug 2024 10:55:00 +0000The Mexico Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has broken its silence after three weeks of suspicions and inconsistencies surrounding the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López in the United States, and the murder of Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa. The ministerial authorities said Thursday in a statement that their U.S. counterparts have not shared key elements to clarify how El Mayo and Joaquín Guzmán López, the one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, were detained on U.S. soil, such as information on the aircraft that transported them, the pilot who flew it, and the official procedures that allowed them to land at a rural airport in New Mexico. The FGR also exposed errors and omissions in the investigation carried out by the Sinaloa Prosecutor’s Office to clarify the murder of Cuén, regarding the autopsy, the investigations at the crime scene, the preservation of the body, and the video that has been released of the alleged attack on the politician, one of the main pieces of evidence presented by the state authorities.

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]]>Andrei Renteria<![CDATA[Sinaloa governor’s alibi for the ‘El Mayo’ scandal: A private flight, a family trip and a controversial businessman]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-14/sinaloa-governors-alibi-for-the-el-mayo-scandal-a-private-flight-a-family-trip-and-a-controversial-businessman.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-14/sinaloa-governors-alibi-for-the-el-mayo-scandal-a-private-flight-a-family-trip-and-a-controversial-businessman.htmlWed, 14 Aug 2024 14:00:29 +0000“The government was on vacation; I made the decision to leave for three or four days.” This is how the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, explained his departure from the state on July 25. On the same day, U.S. authorities confirmed the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, members of the Sinaloa Cartel’s senior leadership, after they landed unexpectedly at a small airport on the outskirts of the border city of El Paso, Texas, at around 4 p.m. Some eight hours later, the local press in Sinaloa reported the death of Héctor Cuén, an influential local politician and known adversary of the governor. After two weeks of tension and irreconcilable versions of what happened, the controversy reached a peak last Saturday when El Mayo’s lawyer made public a letter in which the drug lord stated that he was ambushed, kidnapped and taken against his will to the United States after being summoned to a meeting with Rocha, Cuén, and “El Chapo” Guzmán’s sons that same July 25. In the eye of the hurricane, the head of the Sinaloa state government asserted that he was not present at any private meeting with El Mayo, but on a family trip to Los Angeles. In a new attempt to dispel suspicions, the governor offered more details of his version this week. “What am I going to the United States for? I’m going to see my relatives,” he said at a press conference.

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]]><![CDATA[The letter from ‘El Mayo’ Zambada that widens the scandal in Mexico: A murder, a capture and a secret meeting ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-13/the-letter-from-el-mayo-zambada-that-widens-the-scandal-in-mexico-a-murder-a-capture-and-a-secret-meeting.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-13/the-letter-from-el-mayo-zambada-that-widens-the-scandal-in-mexico-a-murder-a-capture-and-a-secret-meeting.htmlTue, 13 Aug 2024 14:31:12 +0000Two pages were enough for Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada to blow the official version of his capture in the United States out of the water and, in the process, shake up Sinaloa’s political chessboard. El Mayo’s letter, released by his lawyer Frank Perez on Saturday, forced Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum to take a stand just hours after its publication. At the center of the scandal is the murder of Héctor Melesio Cuén, Rocha’s political rival, made public on the same day as the arrest of the 76-year-old drug lord and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Zambada claims that he was going to meet with both men on the day of his surprise arrest, that the Sinaloa Cartel leadership was going to settle a conflict at the state’s main public university, and that one of his bodyguards was a commander in the state Judicial Police. His uncorroborated statements have sparked controversy over the influence of organized crime in Mexico’s public affairs and have provided a first warning of the scope of a potential deal between El Mayo and U.S. authorities.

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]]>Henry Romero<![CDATA[‘El Mayo’ Zambada’s arrest strains bilateral relationship between US and Mexico]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-07/el-mayo-zambadas-arrest-strains-bilateral-relationship-between-us-and-mexico.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-07/el-mayo-zambadas-arrest-strains-bilateral-relationship-between-us-and-mexico.htmlWed, 07 Aug 2024 10:43:59 +0000The fall of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the capo of Mexico’s drug lords, was celebrated in the United States as an unprecedented victory in the so-called war on drugs. The DEA, the FBI and the Justice Department were all chest-thumping after delivering what they called a “blow to the heart” of the Sinaloa Cartel. On the other side of the border, there has been much less enthusiasm. Almost two weeks after the arrest, Mexico still does not know precisely how El Mayo and Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons, ended up on a plane that landed in El Paso, Texas. In addition to the doubts surrounding the case, there are other questions about the message sent by Washington with El Mayo’s detention, the information the White House had before the arrest, and the suspicion of an extraterritorial operation. The mystery has had an impact on the bilateral relationship, adding a new layer to the distrust that prevails between the security agencies of both countries.

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]]>Henry Romero<![CDATA[Mexican president claims that El Chapo’s son agreed to turn himself over to the United States]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-06/mexican-president-claims-that-el-chapos-son-agreed-to-turn-himself-over-to-the-united-states.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-06/mexican-president-claims-that-el-chapos-son-agreed-to-turn-himself-over-to-the-united-states.htmlTue, 06 Aug 2024 19:06:41 +0000Information about the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López — the son of notorious drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — continues to arrive in dribs and drabs. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said on Tuesday that the most probable version of the events is that El Chapo’s son agreed to surrender with U.S. authorities. “The United States government itself has acknowledged that they carried out a negotiation, at least, with one of the two, with Joaquín Guzmán López, that is what they informed us,” said the president. “It seems that it was an agreement.” López Obrador added that the pilot initially linked to the case does not seem to have participated in the arrest. He called for an end to the speculation while the U.S. government prepares to release of the full report on what happened.

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]]>Mario Guzmán<![CDATA[The Sinaloa Cartel after ‘El Mayo’ Zambada: Mexico fears outbreak of violence after arrest of drug lord]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-05/the-sinaloa-cartel-after-el-mayo-zambada-mexico-fears-outbreak-of-violence-after-arrest-of-drug-lord.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-08-05/the-sinaloa-cartel-after-el-mayo-zambada-mexico-fears-outbreak-of-violence-after-arrest-of-drug-lord.htmlMon, 05 Aug 2024 14:50:34 +0000A pre-arranged surrender to the authorities, a deception, or kidnapping at the hands of his former associates. These are the three main hypotheses that have gained traction following the fall of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the world’s most feared and powerful drug traffickers. Certainties about his mysterious arrest have faded in recent days and questions are also emerging about the consequences of his detention and its implications for the Sinaloa Cartel’s leadership “We all know that these are groups that have been involved in illicit activities for years — they are the most famous in the country, so to speak — and yet even though this is a delicate matter there has been no confrontation between them,” said Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador last Friday. A dispute over succession, restructuring, and splits in the hierarchy of the criminal organization — as well the reaction of rivals such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) — remain a latent possibility and have placed the population of the northwest of the country, where those loyal to El Mayo and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán have their strongholds, on alert.

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]]>Andrei Renteria<![CDATA[‘El Mayo’ Zambada faces battery of charges amid conflicting accounts of his arrest]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-08-01/el-mayo-zambada-faces-battery-of-charges-amid-conflicting-accounts-of-his-arrest.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-08-01/el-mayo-zambada-faces-battery-of-charges-amid-conflicting-accounts-of-his-arrest.htmlThu, 01 Aug 2024 08:38:06 +0000Weapons possession, organized crime, money laundering and trafficking of multiple substances, including fentanyl, and conspiracy to murder at least four rival drug traffickers while serving as one of the top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. These are just some of the 7 felony counts that Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada will have to answer for in the United States. On Thursday, the 76-year-old drug lord on Thursday will appear again in a courthouse of the Western District of Texas, in the border city of El Paso, where his legal team will receive an update on the status of the court process. He made his first appearance last week, when he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

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]]><![CDATA[The US lawyer for El Chapo’s son rejects theory of ‘El Mayo’ kidnapping, further complicating case]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-07-31/the-us-lawyer-for-el-chapos-son-rejects-theory-of-el-mayo-kidnapping-further-complicating-case.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-07-31/the-us-lawyer-for-el-chapos-son-rejects-theory-of-el-mayo-kidnapping-further-complicating-case.htmlWed, 31 Jul 2024 17:31:30 +0000A new chapter has been written in the saga of betrayals and intrigues featuring the top members of the Sinaloa Cartel. The lawyer for Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín El Chapo Guzmán, denied on Tuesday that his client kidnapped Ismael El Mayo Zambada to hand him over to the U.S. authorities, as had been widely speculated. Jeffrey Lichtman, the same man who represented El Chapo in the so-called “trial of the century” in 2018, reappeared in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in Chicago, to take on the defense of one of the heirs of the drug boss. At this time he also ruled out that his client had negotiated his surrender with the American justice system. “There has never been an agreement with the government with Joaquín Guzmán López,” said Lichtman after Guzmán López’s first appearance before a judge in the United States.

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]]>Vincent Alban<![CDATA[Kidnapping theory gains traction in ‘El Mayo’ case: Ambush, betrayal and secret contacts with the US]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-07-30/kidnapping-theory-gains-traction-in-el-mayo-case-ambush-betrayal-and-secret-contacts-with-the-us.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-07-30/kidnapping-theory-gains-traction-in-el-mayo-case-ambush-betrayal-and-secret-contacts-with-the-us.htmlTue, 30 Jul 2024 11:22:04 +0000Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of “El Chapo” Guzmán, kidnapped Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada in order to hand him over to U.S. authorities. This is the hypothesis that has gained traction following the fall of Zambada, the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and one of the most feared and powerful criminals in the world. El Mayo, who had never set foot in a jail in more than five decades of his cartel career and had proven impossible to track down in his mountain refuges, was arrested last Thursday along with Guzmán López after landing in Santa Teresa (New Mexico), near the border city of El Paso, in a private plane with Guzmán López. In response to reports of an alleged pact to turn himself in to the authorities Frank Perez, the 76-year-old drug lord’s lawyer, claimed that his client had been “kidnapped” by the heir of his former partner. A report by The New York Times — citing three federal agents as well as former and current government officials — suggests that Zambada was tricked and ambushed by Guzmán López and handed over against his will on the other side of the U.S.-Mexico border.

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]]><![CDATA[Voices of tragedy in San Pedro Garza García: ‘Everything moved like an earthquake. I thought I was going to die’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-24/voices-of-tragedy-in-san-pedro-garza-garcia-everything-moved-like-an-earthquake-i-thought-i-was-going-to-die.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-24/voices-of-tragedy-in-san-pedro-garza-garcia-everything-moved-like-an-earthquake-i-thought-i-was-going-to-die.htmlFri, 24 May 2024 18:49:37 +0000The Mexican state of Nuevo León is in mourning. The collapse of a stage during a political rally attended by Jorge Álvarez Máynez, the presidential candidate for Citizens’ Movement (MC) in San Pedro Garza García, has left the final stretch of his campaign mired in helplessness and dismay, with a little over a week left until Mexico’s election day. The tragedy has cost at least nine lives and left 189 people injured, according to Governor Samuel García. Less than 24 hours after the collapse, echoes of the tragedy still ricocheted through the emergency room at Clinic 21 of the Mexican Institute for Social Security (IMSS), where dozens of people spent the night waiting to hear news of their family members, victims of the event that took place at the El Obispo baseball field. On Thursday the site of the accident was deserted, strictly cordoned off by the National Guard. While in the national media, condolences are starting to dissipate as thoughts turn to who bears the responsibility for the tragedy, among the victims and those who survived the collapse, deep pain and lacerating disbelief continue to be the primary sentiments. No one ever imagined that something like this could take place.

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]]>Julio César Aguilar<![CDATA[The DEA’s crusade against the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels: ‘The most dangerous and deadly drug crisis the US has ever faced’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-10/the-deas-crusade-against-the-sinaloa-and-jalisco-cartels-the-most-dangerous-and-deadly-drug-crisis-the-us-has-ever-faced.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-10/the-deas-crusade-against-the-sinaloa-and-jalisco-cartels-the-most-dangerous-and-deadly-drug-crisis-the-us-has-ever-faced.htmlFri, 10 May 2024 10:59:55 +0000The Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) are the main subjects of the latest U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) annual report, published amid fresh tension with the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador over claims made this week before the House of Representatives concerning delays in the delivery of visas for its agents deployed in Mexico. The Mexican government has denied that bilateral cooperation in the so-called war on drugs is “inconsistent,” as stated by drug czar Anne Milgram, and has ended the controversy by assuring that the authorizations were delivered weeks ago. The spat with the Mexican authorities has not however shifted the position of the DEA in the fight against drug trafficking and its crusade against criminal organizations operating in Mexico, which it cites as responsible for the fentanyl epidemic plaguing U.S. society. “At the heart of the synthetic drug crisis are the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels and their associates,” reads the document, which described the opioid crisis as “the most dangerous and deadly drug crisis the United States has ever faced.”

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]]>Richard Vogel<![CDATA[Mexico is heading towards its most violent election ever, with 30 candidates murdered, 77 threatened and 11 kidnapped ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-27/mexico-is-heading-towards-its-most-violent-election-ever-with-30-candidates-murdered-77-threatened-and-11-kidnapped.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-27/mexico-is-heading-towards-its-most-violent-election-ever-with-30-candidates-murdered-77-threatened-and-11-kidnapped.htmlSat, 27 Apr 2024 03:48:03 +0000Electoral violence is going unchecked in Mexico. Noé Ramos Ferretiz, a candidate for the municipal presidency of Mante, a city in the state of Tamaulipas, was campaigning last Friday when he was stabbed several times. The politician, who is a member of the National Action Party (PAN), died in the middle of the event, to the shock of his supporters. Overwhelming images of blood-stained leaflets circulated afterwards.

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]]>Diego Costa Costa<![CDATA[The bodies of a Mexican and a Guatemalan recovered after Baltimore bridge collapse]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-03-28/the-bodies-of-a-mexican-and-a-guatemalan-recovered-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-03-28/the-bodies-of-a-mexican-and-a-guatemalan-recovered-after-baltimore-bridge-collapse.htmlThu, 28 Mar 2024 09:05:19 +0000U.S. authorities have recovered the bodies of two of the six Hispanic workers who went missing after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. They have been identified as Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, a 35-year-old citizen of Mexico, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala, rescue teams confirmed on Wednesday.

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]]>Scott Olson<![CDATA[Scandals, leaks and power games: The DEA’s turbulent relationship with Mexico and President López Obrador ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-26/scandals-leaks-and-power-games-the-deas-turbulent-relationship-with-mexico-and-president-lopez-obrador.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-26/scandals-leaks-and-power-games-the-deas-turbulent-relationship-with-mexico-and-president-lopez-obrador.htmlMon, 26 Feb 2024 17:29:42 +0000“By what right do you investigate a legal, legitimately constituted government of an independent country? Is there a global government? Isn’t each country independent and sovereign?” These were just some of the points that the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (popularly known as AMLO), made to the White House during his televised morning conference on Thursday, February 22. The president dedicated more than an hour to eviscerating a request for comment sent by The New York Times, which is investigating alleged contributions made by drug traffickers to his successful 2018 campaign. The main source of the report was an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) — which never became a formal accusation — and statements by at least three informatics, who claimed that they gave millions of dollars to López Obrador’s children and members of his inner-circle. “In the past, [Mexican] presidents were like employees of foreign governments — obedient, eager, submissive — and they became accustomed to not respecting our independence, our sovereignty,” the president proclaimed.

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]]>Isaac Esquivel<![CDATA[United States confirms that it is not investigating Mexican President López Obrador]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-02-23/united-states-confirms-that-it-is-not-investigating-mexican-president-lopez-obrador.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2024-02-23/united-states-confirms-that-it-is-not-investigating-mexican-president-lopez-obrador.htmlFri, 23 Feb 2024 09:46:22 +0000The United States is not investigating Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. That was confirmed by John Kirby, the White House spokesperson for international affairs. “There is no investigation into President López Obrador,” he said firmly at teleconference on Thursday. His statements come after The New York Times published a report based on the investigations of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and informant testimony into millions of dollars the Mexican president’s campaign allegedly received in 2018. The Joe Biden administration, however, has insisted that the U.S. and Mexico have a strong relationship, and work closely together in areas such as migration and border control.

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]]>MEXICO PRESIDENCY<![CDATA[How a Salvadoran gangster duped the Bukele government with a fake scheme to catch an MS-13 fugitive wanted by the US]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-29/how-a-salvadoran-gangster-duped-the-bukele-government-with-a-fake-scheme-to-catch-an-ms-13-fugitive-wanted-by-the-us.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-29/how-a-salvadoran-gangster-duped-the-bukele-government-with-a-fake-scheme-to-catch-an-ms-13-fugitive-wanted-by-the-us.htmlMon, 29 Jan 2024 18:16:49 +0000The news spread like wildfire. One of the original Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangsters — Elmer Canales Rivera (alias “Crook” or “Hollywood Crook”) — had been secretly arrested in Mexico. Not much was known about how this career criminal with ties to Mexican cartels had been captured. Crook played a key role in negotiations between gangs and representatives of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, and the United States had him on its most wanted terrorist list. The arrest took place on November 8, 2023, in Chiapas (southern Mexico). A week later, the U.S. Department of Justice released a statement confirming that Crook, the founder of MS-13′s “Twelve Apostles of the Devil” leadership board, was in U.S. custody after being handed over by Mexican agents at Houston’s international airport.

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]]><![CDATA[Inside the Facebook profile of a migrant smuggler]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-28/inside-the-facebook-profile-of-a-migrant-smuggler.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-28/inside-the-facebook-profile-of-a-migrant-smuggler.htmlSun, 28 Jan 2024 14:18:10 +0000El Gus is one of those people who share everything on social media. He posted about what he ate and who he was with. He sent loving messages to his girlfriend and posts support for his friends. He complained when there was a concert he wanted to go to, but couldn’t afford it. He professed his faith in Santa Muerte (the personification of death). He shared memes and motivational quotes and wrote about his professional achievements. He dreamed of having a lot of money.

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]]>DAVID MAUNG<![CDATA[Alejandro Celorio, the lawyer leading Mexico’s lawsuit against US gun manufacturers: ‘The arms industry has blood on its hands’]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-25/alejandro-celorio-the-lawyer-leading-mexicos-lawsuit-against-us-gun-manufacturers-the-arms-industry-has-blood-on-its-hands.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-25/alejandro-celorio-the-lawyer-leading-mexicos-lawsuit-against-us-gun-manufacturers-the-arms-industry-has-blood-on-its-hands.htmlThu, 25 Jan 2024 14:35:27 +0000Mexico has just scored an unprecedented legal victory. In a historic decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled in favor of the Mexican government and agreed that it does have sufficient grounds to sue arms industry giants in the United States, after a Massachusetts court threw out the lawsuit in September 2022.

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]]>Graciela López<![CDATA[Legal victory for Mexico: Appeals court says it can sue US gun manufacturers]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-23/legal-victory-for-mexico-appeals-court-says-it-can-sue-us-gun-manufacturers.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-23/legal-victory-for-mexico-appeals-court-says-it-can-sue-us-gun-manufacturers.htmlTue, 23 Jan 2024 09:48:56 +0000Mexico can sue gun manufacturers in the United States. This was the decision reached on Monday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which ruled in favor of the Mexican government and revived the $10 billion lawsuit the latter had brought against some of the most important names in the American arms industry. The case will now return to a Massachusetts court, the same one that threw out the lawsuit in September 2022, to be reviewed again. “Great news,” celebrated Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

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]]>George Frey<![CDATA[Raúl Flores, ‘El Tío’, the discreet cartel kingpin who left no trace]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-17/raul-flores-el-tio-the-discreet-cartel-kingpin-who-left-no-trace.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-17/raul-flores-el-tio-the-discreet-cartel-kingpin-who-left-no-trace.htmlWed, 17 Jan 2024 15:00:29 +0000Raul Flores, alias “El Tío,” was arrested in an operation by government agents in Zapopan, Jalisco, on July 20, 2017. But there was no word of his detention until nearly three weeks later. Discreet and methodical, Flores was a virtually unknown cartel capo until August 9, when the U.S. Treasury Department dropped a bombshell, accusing former Mexico international soccer player Rafa Márquez and singer Julión Álvarez of being his front men and including them on the so-called U.S. blacklist. Washington’s decision placed Márquez’s participation in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia in doubt and forced Álvarez, one of Mexico’s most famous artists, to remove his material from platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. Media coverage focused on them among 22 suspects cited by the authorities, until both had cleared their names: the former FC Barcelona defender was acquitted by the Mexican judiciary in early 2018 and by U.S. justice in 2021, while Álvarez was redeemed in 2022 and was able to return to perform on the other side of the border last year. Away from the spotlight, Flores was not as fortunate. He battled for four years until he was extradited to the U.S. and was sentenced last Friday to 21 years and 10 months in prison for cocaine trafficking.

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]]><![CDATA[Jorge Álvarez Máynez, the candidate that no one expected on Mexico’s presidential ballot]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-11/jorge-alvarez-maynez-the-candidate-that-no-one-expected-on-mexicos-presidential-ballot.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-11/jorge-alvarez-maynez-the-candidate-that-no-one-expected-on-mexicos-presidential-ballot.htmlThu, 11 Jan 2024 16:50:52 +0000Rivers of ink have flowed in recent months, as journalists try to guess who was going to be the Citizen’s Movement (MC) candidate for the presidency in the 2024 elections in Mexico. Would it be Samuel Garcia, Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas, Marcelo Ebrard, Patricia Mercado, Enrique Alfaro, or Dante Delgado? The name of Jorge Álvarez Máynez was not on many of the lists. It was not mentioned in the forecasts, nor did it appear in the polls. In the end, the orange party opted to pit their leader in the Chamber of Deputies against the ruling party’s Claudia Sheinbaum, with Xóchitl Gálvez hot on their heels.

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]]>José Méndez<![CDATA[In the Mexican town of Salvatierra, authorities search for answers to massacre ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-21/in-the-mexican-town-of-salvatierra-authorities-search-for-answers-to-massacre.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-21/in-the-mexican-town-of-salvatierra-authorities-search-for-answers-to-massacre.htmlThu, 21 Dec 2023 13:07:48 +0000A group of people arrived, unannounced, at the inn where a Christmas season party was being held. When the partygoers asked them to leave, they did so… but soon returned with a group of armed men, who opened fire on the victims. This is the main hypothesis put forward by the Attorney General’s Office of the Mexican state of Guanajuato, concerning the events around last weekend’s massacre in the town of Salvatierra. Eleven young people were murdered in the attack, while another 14 were severely injured.

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]]>JUAN MORENO<![CDATA[The poison and the antidote: A cry for help from ground zero of the fentanyl epidemic ]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-17/the-poison-and-the-antidote-a-cry-for-help-from-ground-zero-of-the-fentanyl-epidemic.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-17/the-poison-and-the-antidote-a-cry-for-help-from-ground-zero-of-the-fentanyl-epidemic.htmlSun, 17 Dec 2023 19:09:25 +0000Channing Velázquez slowly closed his eyes and began to stop seeing everything around him. “I remember sitting down to watch television and everything turned gray. Afterwards, I couldn’t move. I felt like my heart was beating very slowly. Everything started to shut down. It was like being inside a tunnel,” he recalls. Velázquez grew up in Nogales, Arizona, a city of just over 20,000 inhabitants on the border between Mexico and the United States. It’s separated by a wall from its sister city of Nogales, in the Mexican state of Sonora, which has 10 times the population.

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]]>Gladys Serrano <![CDATA[Genaro García Luna’s defense alleges a ‘plot’ against Mexico’s former drug czar and demands a new trial in New York]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-15/genaro-garcia-lunas-defense-alleges-a-plot-against-mexicos-former-drug-czar-and-demands-a-new-trial-in-new-york.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-15/genaro-garcia-lunas-defense-alleges-a-plot-against-mexicos-former-drug-czar-and-demands-a-new-trial-in-new-york.htmlFri, 15 Dec 2023 23:20:38 +0000Genaro García Luna wants to sit in the dock once again. The defense for Mexico’s former drug czar filed a motion this Friday to request a new trial for their client in New York. His lawyers claim they have had access to new evidence that exonerates Felipe Calderon’s Public Security Secretary, the highest-ranking former Mexican official ever to be tried in a U.S. court. The former Federal Police chief was found guilty last February of drug trafficking, organized crime and false statements. Judge Brian Cogan, the same judge who convicted Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, must decide whether to grant the request of García Luna’s lawyers or proceed to sentence him next year.

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]]>Alexandre Meneghini<![CDATA[Javier Milei: How the Argentine presidential candidate plagiarized three Mexican scientists]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-18/javier-milei-how-the-argentine-presidential-candidate-plagiarized-three-mexican-scientists.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-18/javier-milei-how-the-argentine-presidential-candidate-plagiarized-three-mexican-scientists.htmlSat, 18 Nov 2023 12:45:42 +0000Mexican scientist Salvador Galindo Uribarri didn’t know who Javier Milei was until a journalist contacted him in May last year. It was then that the researcher realized that an article he had written with two colleagues — Mario Rodríguez Mesa and Jorge Luis Cervantes Cota — had been plagiarized in Pandenomics, a book published by Javier Milei in 2020. The far-right Argentine politician — who is running to be the next president — released the book six years after the original academic publication came out.

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]]>mariana eliano<![CDATA[López Obrador opens to the world at APEC summit in San Francisco]]>https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-16/lopez-obrador-opens-to-the-world-at-apec-summit-in-san-francisco.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-16/lopez-obrador-opens-to-the-world-at-apec-summit-in-san-francisco.htmlThu, 16 Nov 2023 10:42:48 +0000San Francisco is showing its best, cleanest face for the world leaders from 21 countries who have arrived here for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. But the summit is also evidencing the tensions that the most relevant event in seven decades has caused in the city. On Wednesday, several groups demonstrated in favor of an independent Taiwan. Meanwhile, dozens of members of the Chinese sect Falun Gong were protesting against the presence of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, while others welcomed the leader of the Communist Party by waving red flags. Xi met for two hours with Joe Biden in a show of rapprochement between the world’s greatest powers.

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]]><![CDATA[Mexico and the United States clash over Biden’s approval of more border wall construction]]>https://english.elpais.com/usa/2023-10-07/mexico-and-the-united-states-clash-over-bidens-approval-of-more-border-wall-construction.htmlhttps://english.elpais.com/usa/2023-10-07/mexico-and-the-united-states-clash-over-bidens-approval-of-more-border-wall-construction.htmlSat, 07 Oct 2023 15:48:17 +0000The Mexican and United States delegations entered Mexico’s National Palace, apologizing for the delay. After a lunch that lasted longer than expected, six high-ranking officials from both countries approached the dais to conclude two days of work and hold a press conference on the latest progress on the security agenda. During the meeting, they discussed a more aggressive strategy against fentanyl precursor chemicals, expediting criminal boss extraditions, increasing information exchange to stop arms trafficking, and taking decisive action against human trafficking networks. However, the topic that drew the most questions from reporters was the newly authorized funding for a border wall extension in south Texas. This turn of events cast a shadow over the meeting, prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to hastily offer explanations to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the media.

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]]>JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ