Mexico City

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The United States (US) Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said on Friday (Aug 9) that Sinaloa drug cartel leader "El Mayo" Zambada was arrested in the US after flying there "against his will" while other cartel leader El Chapo's son Joaquin Guzman Lopez had voluntarily surrendered.

Both Zambada and Lopez were arrested in July and have pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in the US.

Addressing a press conference, Ambassador Salazar said that Zambada was taken against his will while Lopez voluntarily surrendered. "I want you to understand very clearly, there were no resources from the United States in this operation," he added.

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Also read | Arrested Mexican drug lord 'El Mayo' pleads not guilty to US drug charges

The ambassador's remarks came as the murky circumstances leading to the Sinaloa Cartel members' US arrest last month caused the Mexican government to reproach the Latin American nation's neighbour for lack of cooperation, a report by the news agency Reuters said.

'They've not given us sufficient information'

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Hours before Salazar's press conference, Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador complained that there was no cooperation from the US on clarifying the circumstances around the arrests of Zambada and Guzman.

"They have not given us sufficient information," President Obrador said at a separate press conference. 

Zambada co-founded the Sinaloa cartel with El Chapo in the 1980s  and it has since risen to be one of the most powerful criminal operations in Mexico alongside the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Zambada escaped arrest for much of his life and was the most wanted drug trafficker in the US.

'My client was forcibly kidnapped'

Speaking to Reuters, Zambada's lawyer said that Guzman Lopez and six men in military uniforms "forcibly kidnapped" his client near the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan and flew him to the US against his will.

However, the Guzman family lawyer denied kidnapping and called it a voluntary surrender after extended negotiations.

(With inputs from agencies)