This Was the Reason Why “Los Chapitos” Decided to Turn in “El Mayo Zambada,” According to Max Docuseries
The docuseries reveals that the veteran drug lord’s surrender was not the result of an official operation or voluntary handover, but rather a betrayal arranged by Los Chapitos as part of a vendetta—both to save Ovidio Guzmán López and as revenge for their father, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. The motive stemmed from testimonies given during El Chapo’s trial by Jesús “El Rey” Zambada and Vicente Zambada Niebla, a.k.a. “El Vicentillo.”
“If you look at the trial, there were 56 prosecution witnesses against one defense witness. Is that a defense?” asks José Luis González Meza, former attorney for El Chapo, in the series. “Who benefits from keeping El Chapo from coming back?” he continues.
During the Brooklyn court trial, U.S. prosecutors based their case against Guzmán Loera heavily on key testimonies. “The cooperating witnesses, or ‘the compadres’ as some call them, were essential in building the case,” said lead prosecutor Gina Parlovecchio.
Both men cooperated with U.S. authorities in exchange for legal benefits, including recommendation letters to judges, sentence reductions, and protection for their families. “They helped me bring my family from Mexico to the United States for safety,” Jesús Zambada said, according to court documents previously reported by Milenio. He was also removed from the U.S. Treasury’s blacklist.
In the documentary, the presiding judge recalls that the defense tried to shift the blame to Zambada García. “During the trial, the defense’s legal strategy was to focus on El Mayo Zambada as the real cartel leader,” said Parlovecchio. “We always maintained that El Chapo wasn’t the leader. It was El Mayo,” added Mariel Colón, Guzmán’s lawyer.
Following the trial, the U.S. increased pressure on the Sinaloa Cartel, especially targeting El Chapo’s sons for their role in manufacturing and trafficking fentanyl, which sparked a public health crisis in the neighboring state. Control over the narrative of who runs the fentanyl operation became a key point of contention.
“Los Chapitos always try to reshape the story to come out as the good guys,” stated an alleged cartel member in the docuseries. According to him, they attempted to shift blame onto Zambada for opioid production, even though they are the ones seeking a monopoly over that market.
Meanwhile, González Meza suggested that El Mayo was the one who betrayed them first: “If the Chapitos aren’t handling fentanyl, then who is? Zambada, man. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tipped off the government to capture Ovidio (Guzmán López).”
On July 25, 2024, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was arrested alongside Joaquín Guzmán López at El Paso airport. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, both were detained while boarding a private plane.
But in a letter shared by his defense team and featured in the documentary, Zambada offered a different version: he claimed he was kidnapped and taken against his will. “I did not surrender. I also had no agreement with either government. I was forcibly brought here, under duress and without my consent,” he declared.
According to the letter, Guzmán López had invited him to what was supposedly a political meeting at a ranch near Culiacán. “I saw Joaquín Guzmán López, and he signaled for me to follow him. Trusting the nature of the meeting, I followed without hesitation. He led me to another room, which was dark. When I entered, I was ambushed.”
Zambada said he was beaten, tied up, and transported to a secret airstrip—allegedly in the Capo Berlín area—where he was flown to Texas. Onboard the flight were only himself, Guzmán López, and the pilot.
A cartel member interviewed for the documentary said Zambada arrived with little security and was betrayed by someone close to him. “Chaidez and El Chayo, his usual bodyguards, vanished. Most likely, they’re already dead.”
His statement aligns with Zambada’s own account, in which he reported the disappearance of José Rosario Heras López, commander of the Sinaloa Judicial Police, and Rodolfo Chaidez, members of his security team. He also confirmed the death of Héctor Melesio Cuen on the same day and called on authorities to be transparent about the case.
Violence continues in Sinaloa due to the ongoing conflict between Los Chapitos and “La Mayiza.”
In the episode, various voices claim that El Mayo’s capture was part of a secret agreement. “The cooperation of Rey and Vicentillo definitely played a role in Mayo’s kidnapping,” said an alleged member of the group. “As far as we know, Los Chapitos still hold resentment because those who testified against their father were Mayo’s sons,” added a local journalist.
Steve Duncan, former DEA special agent, said Guzmán Loera continues to communicate with his sons from prison. “Through their lawyers, they could’ve arranged for this to happen,” he noted.
Even Jeffrey Lichtman, attorney for Los Chapitos, confirmed that negotiations are ongoing. “There are negotiations in every case, even many that end up in trial,” he said. Journalist Jesús Bustamante, who witnessed the events of “Black Thursday,” was blunt: “It’s undeniable that part of the deal included Joaquín Guzmán López turning in El Mayo Zambada.”
The series ends with a statement that resonates across Sinaloa: “Ovidio is already singing. And now he has company (his brother Joaquín). Everyone in Sinaloa says both are cooperating, and Ovidio will say whatever they ask of him.”
