MEXICO CITY (AP) — Police, prosecutors and forensic examiners in the northern Mexico state of Sinaloa all conspired to cover up the killing of an opponent of the ruling-party state governor, using a blood-stained truck found at the crime scene, federal prosecutors said Sunday.
The bombshell statement by federal prosecutors backs up the version of imprisoned drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Zambada claims he was forced aboard an airplane on July 25 by another drug capo who flew them both to the United States and turned them in to U.S. authorities.
Zambada said in a letter in August that Héctor Cuén, an opponent of ruling-party Gov. Ruben Rocha, was murdered on July 25 at the same time and the same ranch where Zambada was kidnapped. Federal prosecutors revealed Sunday that Cuén’s blood was indeed found at the ranch.
Gov. Rocha has not responded publicly to Sunday’s statement by prosecutors, but he has said in the past that Cuén was killed by gunmen in a random botched robbery at a gasoline station miles away later that day, and Sinaloa state prosecutors showed security camera footage of the alleged attack.
But federal prosecutors quickly noted something was wrong with that video: post-mortem records showed Cuén’s body had four gunshot wounds, while only one gunshot can be heard on the security camera footage, and gas station employees said they didn’t hear any.
Cuén's bullet-ridden body could not help solve the riddle, because Sinaloa officials violated all murder investigation rules by allowing the body to be cremated almost immediately.
The gasoline station footage was later proved to be a falsification, but something about the white pickup truck seen in the footage was real: it had the blood of one of Zambada's trusted bodyguards in the cargo bed.
That implied that Sinaloa state police, crime scene investigators and prosecutors either found the bodyguard's corpse in the truck and got rid of the body, or at very least took the blood-stained vehicle from a crime scene to fake a gunpoint robbery at the gas station.
“All of the above confirms the police and prosecution investigation that has confirmed the presumed administrative and criminal responsibilities of Sinaloa police, detectives, forensic examiners and state prosecutors who have been exhaustively investigated regarding their participation in the death of Héctor (Cuén)” the federal Attorney General's Office said in a statement Sunday.
The news appears to complicate further the position of Gov. Rocha, who belongs to President Claudia Sheinbaum’s ruling Morena Party. Sheinbaum has strongly backed Rocha so far. But Rocha has done little or nothing to quell the bloody fighting that broke out between the rival factions of the two Sinaloa drug cartel capos that broke out after July 25.
Instead, Rocha has sought to downplay the gunbattles, killings, kidnappings and cartel roadblocks that have sprung around the state capital, Culiacan. On Thursday, hours before gunmen opened fire on the offices of a local newspaper, Gov. Rocha said “there is nothing to worry about” and “everything is under control.”
Rocha — a close associate of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who left office Sept. 30 — has been implicated in the events of July 25 from the start, though he denies it.
Zambada has said that Joaquín Guzmán López — a leader of a rival cartel faction who he nonetheless trusted — had invited him to the meeting to help iron out the fierce political rivalry between Gov. Rocha and Cuén, who were feuding.
Zambada was famous for eluding capture for decades because of his incredibly tight, loyal and sophisticated personal security apparatus. But he said that on July 25, he left most of his security team behind and entered with only two bodyguards because he expected both Cuén and Gov. Rocha to be present.
The two bodyguards have not been heard from since.
The fact that Zambada would knowingly leave all his security behind to meet with the politicians suggests he viewed such a meeting as credible and feasible. The same goes for the idea that Zambada, as the leader of the oldest wing of the Sinaloa cartel, could act as an arbiter in the state’s political disputes.
Rocha has denied he knew of or attended the meeting where Zambada was abducted, claiming he had borrowed a businessman's private jet to fly to California that day. But while a flight record of that plane exists, Rocha has never shown the immigration documents he would have filed to enter the United States, leading to doubts that he was aboard the plane.
The perceived betrayal of El Mayo has led to fierce fighting between his followers, known as “Mayitos,” and the followers of Guzmán López, who — as one of the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Gúzman — was a co-leader of the faction known as the “Chapitos.”
In Mexico's bloodied Sinaloa state, police and prosecutors conspired to cover up opponent's killing
In Mexico's bloodied Sinaloa state, police and prosecutors conspired to cover up opponent's killing
FILE - In this courtroom sketch, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, center, is seated beside his defense attorney Frank Perez, left, in federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sept. 13, 2024. (Elizabeth Williams via AP, File)
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldova’s pro-Western president early Monday looked set to win the first round of a presidential race but accused “criminal groups” of undermining a referendum asking voters to decide whether to secure a path toward European Union membership, which risked being narrowly rejected.
Nearly 95% of votes were counted in the EU referendum that asks voters to choose whether to enshrine in the country’s constitution a path toward the EU. About 52% of a total 1.2 million ballots voted “no,” while 47% voted “Yes.”
However, ballots cast among the country's large diaspora were still being tallied and tended to favor the EU path.
“Criminal groups, working together with foreign forces hostile to our national interests, have attacked our country with tens of millions of euros, lies and propaganda, using the most disgraceful means to keep our citizens and our nation trapped in uncertainty and instability,” said President Maia Sandu after about 90% of the votes had been counted.
“We have clear evidence that these criminal groups aimed to buy 300,000 votes — a fraud of unprecedented scale,” Sandu added. “Their objective was to undermine a democratic process.”
The two pivotal ballots were held amid ongoing claims by Moldovan authorities that Moscow has intensified an alleged “hybrid war” campaign to destabilize the country and derail its EU path. The allegations include funding pro-Moscow opposition groups, spreading disinformation, meddling in local elections and backing a major vote-buying scheme.
In the presidential race of 11 candidates, Sandu looked set to win the first round with 39% of the vote but was unlikely to win an outright majority. She will likely face Alexandr Stoianoglo, a Russia-friendly former prosecutor general who outperformed polls with around 28% of the vote, in a run-off on Nov. 3.
After polls closed at 9 p.m. local time, more than 1.5 million voters — about 51% of eligible voters — had cast ballots, according to the Central Electoral Commission.
Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, told The Associated Press that votes from the diaspora could prove crucial at this late stage.
“If I were a pro-EU politician … that’s where I’d look for signs of good news,” he said. “I think the ideal scenario for them would have been to have something that showed overwhelming support for the EU — and that simply did not happen.”
U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby echoed Russian interference concerns this week, saying in a statement that “Russia is working actively to undermine Moldova’s election and its European integration.” Moscow has repeatedly denied it is interfering in Moldova.
“In the last several months, Moscow has dedicated millions of dollars to influencing Moldova’s presidential election,” Kirby said. "We assess that this money has gone toward financing its preferred parties and spreading disinformation on social media in favor of their campaigns.”
In early October, Moldovan law enforcement said it had uncovered a massive vote-buying scheme orchestrated by Ilan Shor, an exiled pro-Russia oligarch who currently resides in Russia, which paid 15 million euros ($16.2 million) to 130,000 individuals to undermine the two ballots.
Shor was convicted in absentia last year and sentenced to 15 years in prison on fraud and money laundering in the case of $1 billion that went missing from Moldovan banks in 2014. He denied the allegations, saying “the payments are legal” and cited a right to freedom of expression. Shor’s populist Russia-friendly Shor Party was declared unconstitutional last year and banned.
Constantin Celac, a 37-year-old multimedia producer, said in central Chisinau that he cast his ballots in favor of Sandu and EU integration because “it is the best way” forward for Moldova. He said that while he does have concerns about Russian meddling, “I trust our government … to fight against them.”
On Thursday, Moldovan authorities foiled another plot in which more than 100 young Moldovans received training in Moscow from private military groups on how to create civil unrest around the two votes. Some also attended “more advanced training in guerrilla camps” in Serbia and Bosnia, police said, and four people were detained for 30 days.
Sandu cast her own ballot in the capital on Sunday and told the media that “Moldovans themselves must choose their own fate, and not others, nor the dirty money or the lies."
“I voted for Moldova to be able to develop in peace and liberty,” she said.
A pro-Western government has been in power in Moldova since 2021, a year after Sandu won the presidency. A parliamentary election will be held next year.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic with a population of about 2.5 million, applied to join the EU in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and was granted candidate status that summer, alongside Ukraine. Brussels agreed in June to start membership negotiations.
Loredana Godorogea, a 29-year-old IT manager who lives in Chisinau, said she also voted in favor of the incumbent president and the path toward the EU. “I think in the next five years we can be more close economically with the European Union, and I also think a big factor will be the war in Ukraine," she said.
Moldova's President Maia Sandu speaks to the media during a press briefing after the polls closed for the presidential election and the referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership, in Chisinau, Moldova, early Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Moldova's President Maia Sandu, right, walks by Moldova's Prime Minister Dorin Recean, left, after the polls closed for the presidential election and the referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership, in Chisinau, Moldova, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Moldova's President Maia Sandu leaves after delivering a speech during a press briefing after the polls closed for the presidential election and the referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership, in Chisinau, Moldova, early Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman holds a child as she casts her vote in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman hands a child her vote to cast in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A man using crutches exits a voting booth in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A man looks at candidates listed on the ballot in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A man gestures after casting his vote in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Moldova's President Maia Sandu prepares to cast her vote, in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A child holds a voting ballot in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Moldova's President Maia Sandu speaks to the media after casting her vote in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
A woman holds a child as she casts her vote in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
An election official assists a voter with her mobile phone flashlight during a power failure in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Nicolae Dumitrache)
Election officials assist voters with mobile phone flashlights during a power failure in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Nicolae Dumitrache)
Election officials assist voters with mobile phone flashlights during a power failure in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Nicolae Dumitrache)
An election official assists a voter with her mobile phone flashlight during a power failure in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, during a presidential election and a referendum on whether to enshrine in the Constitution the country's path to European Union membership. (AP Photo/Nicolae Dumitrache)
