El Mayo's Police Bodyguard Confirmed Missing, Sinaloa Governor Denies Involvement in "Mayo Meeting"

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

With Contributions from "HEARST"

The Sinaloa Prosecutor's Office reported that the judicial police officer mentioned in the letter written by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, does exist, and that he has been missing since the day of the kidnapping and US arrest.

"It is reported that there is an active investigative agent with the indicated name of Rosario Heras, assigned to arrest warrants; who had his vacation period from July 15 to 30, 2024," the Prosecutor's Office indicated.

Following claims by "El Mayo's" Texas based lawter Frank Perez that his client was kidnapped and taken to the US unwillingly; a statement by Mayo himself, through his lawyer was released to journalist Keegan Hamilton. The letter detailed the events of the day leading to his arrest in the US and those involved in the incident.

“I did not surrender or come voluntarily to the United States, nor did I have any agreement with either government. On the contrary, I was kidnapped and taken to the U.S. by force and against my will,” Zambada wrote.

Huertos del Pedregal de Culiacán event center where the meeting allegedly took place.

He described how a state police official served as his personal bodyguard and said he had agreed to leave his hideout at the request of 38-year-old Joaquín Guzmán López to “help resolve differences” between two feuding politicians.

Those politicians, he said, were Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, a former mayor of Culiacán and former candidate for governor of Sinaloa.

Zambada said the two Sinaloa politicians were locked in a dispute “over who should lead” the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, where Cuén Ojeda, a one time candidate for governor, had once been the rector. The letter also talks about the death of Hector, whom Zambada describes as a close friend and whose death, according to him, is directly related to his kidnapping.

Zambada said Cuén Ojeda was shot dead at the meeting. That would be a different version of events than one shared by Sinaloa law enforcement authorities, who said they believed Cuén Ojeda had been killed in an attempted carjacking later that evening.

Also, Mayo states in the letter that he knows nothing about what happened Jose Rosario Heras Lopez and Rodolfo Chaidez, who were accompanying him as part of his protection detail for the meeting.

Mayo's Missing Bodyguards

Zambada said he brought his own bodyguards, four in total, including José Rosario Heras López, a commander in the State Judicial Police of Sinaloa, and Rodolfo Chaidez, whom he described as “a longtime member of my security team.” 

“While walking toward the meeting area, I saw Héctor Cuen and one of his aides. I greeted them briefly before proceeding inside to a room that had a table filled with fruit,” Zambada said. Two of the guards stayed outside the perimeter. Two of the bodyguards with "El Mayo" were subdued by Joaquin Guzman's men.

Zambada said that those two bodyguards who were with him, including the state police official, have been missing since the ambush and his kidnapping by Joaquin Guzman-Lopez. The statement also said Cuén Ojeda was killed at the scene and that his body was taken away.

One source, in an interview with Riodoce mentioned that among the men close to "El Mayo" whose current whereabouts are unknown were "Chayo" or Jose Rosario Heras Lopez, "Chaidez" or Rodolfo Chaidez and a man identified only as "Peña." Peña was likely Jesús Peña González, known as "El 20," but it has not been confirmed.

Through a statement, the Prosecutor's Office indicated that José Rosario Heras López, identified as the Commander of the Judicial Police who allegedly served as Zambada's personal guard, is an active investigative agent and officially was on vacation.

"It is reported that there is an active investigative agent with the indicated name of Rosario Heras, assigned to arrest warrants; who had his vacation period from July 15 to 30, 2024," the Prosecutor's Office indicated.

The police officer's family filed a complaint on July 28 for his disappearance since the 25th of July, when he went to visit his parents in Culiacáncito, the same day as Mayo's kidnapping and arrest.

The National Transparency Platform shows that José Rosario Heras López was assigned in 2017 to the Attorney General's Office of the State of Sinaloa, specifically to the Department of Execution of Arrest Warrants of the State Investigative Police.

During the trial of El Chapo in Brooklyn in 2019, Zambada’s eldest son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, testified that the cartel paid an estimated $1 million per month in “salaries” to officials at all levels of government. Zambada Niebla testified that a commander of the state judicial police, the agency his father mentioned in his statement Saturday, would receive around $50,000 per month.

State police commanders were given the nickname “Yankee,” Zambada Niebla testified, and his father liked to hand-deliver the bribes. “My dad is the kind of person who liked to see the Yankees or commanders personally,” he said. Vincentillo also detailed payments on his father’s behalf to a military general, federal police officials, and agents from the Mexican attorney general’s office tasked with investigating organized crime.

Rodolfo Chaidez, the other missing bodyguard, had also been an agent of the State Investigative Police but around 20 years ago, revealed the Attorney General, Sara Bruna Quiñónez Estrada.

Héctor Cuen Ojeda's Assassination

“I am aware that the official version given by the authorities of the state of Sinaloa is that Hector Cuen was shot on the night of July 25 at a gas station by two men on a motorcycle who wanted to steal his truck. That is not what happened. He was killed at the same time and in the same place where I was kidnapped. Hector Cuen was a long-time friend of mine and I deeply regret his death, as well as the disappearance of Jose Rosario Heras Lopez and Rodolfo Chaidez, of whom no one has heard anything since.”

State authorities in Sinaloa have said Cuén Ojeda was declared dead by doctors at a private clinic in central Culiacán on the night of July 25. An autopsy showed he died from the impact of four bullets, one of which hit a major artery on his right leg.

Sinaloa authorities said a man, Fausto Ernesto Corrales, a close friend to Hector, who brought Cuén Ojeda to the Culiacán clinic reported that the shooting had occurred in a failed carjacking attempt at a gas station. In a statement, the FGE reported that this line of evidence was also confirmed by other video and expert evidence in addition to the statement by Corrales.

Two gas station employees interviewed by journalists for Ríodoce said that they did not see a motorcycle approach the vehicle or see an altercation. 

However, Sinaloa FGE just released surveillance video footage at the gas station showing the alleged shooting with multiple gas station attendants nearby to witness the attack and the truck speeding off quickly.

But, the video footage seemingly contradicts the narrative of him being the victim of an attempted car jacking or robbery as the motorcycle gunman approaches the passenger side of the 2024 Ford Raptor Lobo truck, attacking Cuen and then immediately escaping in the opposite direction.

Fausto is the son of Víctor Antonio Corrales Burgueño, a former rector of the UAS and current president of the Sinaloa Party (PAS) replacing Cuén Ojeda. 

In his statement, Fausto Ernesto Corrales said that on July 25 he had accompanied Cuén Ojeda to Campestre Condado de San Francisco, north of Culiacán, because he had a meeting scheduled with lawyers who never showed up. That same night, upon returning to the capital of Sinaloa, Corrales said that a pair of gunmen on a motorcycle approached and tried to steal their truck when they stopped to fill up with fuel at a gas station. When Cuén apparently refused to get out of the vehicle, the attackers shot him in the leg. 

Sinaloa Atty. Gen. Sara Bruna Quiñonez Estrada said in a statement that police are investigating “all possible causes” in Cuén Ojeda’s case. However, she also stated that one of the main lines of investigation into his death is still that of vehicle theft.

“He [Fausto] took the victim to the Cemsi Chapultepec clinic to receive medical attention, but during the trip Cuén Ojeda told him that he felt very weak,” added the head of the FGE. At 11:17 PM, he was officially announced dead at the hospital.

Political Feud

Hector Cuen was the former rector of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa from 2005 till 2009 and founder of the Sinaloa Party (PAS). He had also been mayor of Culiacan from 2011 to 2013.

Rocha was also rector of UAS from 1993 until 1997 when he began to seek political office and began a run for governor. Though Hector Cuen was no longer rector after 2009, it was alleged that he took administrative control of the university and essentially appointed the rectors who succeeded him. Rocha had criticized Cuen for years over this and the use of the University and students for his political base. 

In 2016, Cuen ran for governor but came in second place behind the PRI party candidate. In 2021, Rocha ran for governor and the pair set aside their differences with Cuen's PAS joining with Morena. Making amends, Rocha invited Cuen to be his Secretary of Health where he stayed for only 6 months until he was dismissed and the pair battled over UAS control once again. 

Since the time Rocha became governor of Sinaloa, the feud grew even more with Cuen claiming he was being politically persecuted. He joined the PRI-PAN opposition alliance in the last elections and was to take his seat in Congress next month.

On July 5, the Director of Social Communication of the UAS was attacked by armed men in the parking lot of the rector's building, although on that occasion the victim was unharmed.

On July 16, 2024, a week prior to the events leading to Hector Cuen's death; academics and students from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa held a protest at the National Palace. “We ask for your support to end corruption,” read some of the banners carried by the protesters. They demanded transparency and accountability.

The protests pointed to Héctor Cuén, who was accused of being a "boss" within the institution.

“Mr. President, help us get Cuén out of the UAS. You have always been an ally of the university students of Sinaloa and we are firm in our commitment to the transformation. We want to end corruption at the UAS. Let’s free the UAS. Héctor Melesio Cuén chooses the rector, directors, high-level administrators, he decides who works at the UAS,” claimed the protestors.

Rubén Rocha, said during his press conference earlier that week that Cuén Ojeda should "keep his hands off the university due to the accusations of corruption against him."

When questioned about these protests and the issues, Mexican President AMLO spoke in favor of finding a solution to the conflict in which irregularities are alleged. "I don't want to take sides, except to say that I have a lot of confidence in Rubén Rocha, the governor, and he is in favor of dialogue; so, hopefully an agreement will be reached between the parties," said López Obrador.

On the flip side, Hector Cuen, one week before his murder, accused Rocha of receiving "big money" that was outside of the electoral authority budget.

“When we made the decision to support Morena and Professor Rocha, there was money to spare. I realized how much money they were getting. A lot of money. To such an extent that when the election was over, they kept a lot of money and started buying houses everywhere,” said Héctor Cuén.

He stated that for the purchase of two properties in different parts of Sinaloa they paid 36 million pesos (close to $2 million USD), after the election. 

“Ricardo Rocha, his son, who lived in La Conquista, bought a house in a private subdivision, I think it’s called San Ángel. They bought a house that was worth 13 million pesos, they billed it for less, I don’t remember if it was 4.5 [million]. The campaign ended and they immediately bought these houses. They did the same in Los Álamos, a house worth 23 million pesos ; they did the same in La Primavera, where his daughter and son already lived, but they bought a house of much better quality,” he said.

Approximately three weeks before he was assassinated, Hector stopped receiving the protection that the National Guard had been providing him since the recent elections. He was supposed to have protection that included 6 GN elements until August 23, 2024.

“I must thank the National Guard very much  because suddenly we requested support due to a series of violent situations that were occurring in the context of this 2024 election,” Cuén Ojeda mentioned on his podcast in early July. He speculated as to the reasoning for his protection being removed after it was made public that he was being guarded. Hector stated on his podcast that "With what is happening, we hold the Government of Sinaloa responsible for whatever may happen."

Sinaloa Governor Denies Involvement

At a news conference Saturday, Rocha forcefully denied any knowledge of the meeting described by Zambada, saying he was not in the state on the day it allegedly occurred. "If they told Mayo Zambada that I would be at the meeting, they lied to him and he fell right into the trap," said Governor Rubén Rocha Moya.

"We have no complicity with anyone and that is precisely according to the President's policy, there is no complicity. Therefore, if they said that I was going to be there, then they lied; and if you believed them, then you fell into the trap," he declared.

“I have already been asked by many journalists, and this is my statement: there is absolutely nothing, nothing, that can link me to this matter. I say it in a categorical and forceful manner: nothing,” he added. The Governor stressed that no one from organized crime has to summon him to a meeting to resolve government problems.

He claims that he was traveling to Los Angeles, California the day of "El Mayo's" kidnapping and returned to Sinaloa the following day.

“The Attorney General of the State of Sinaloa is being urgently requested to accept the federal appeal of the case of the murder of Hector, due to its possible links to the main issue being analyzed. As regards the Governor of Sinaloa, the representation of the FGR in that State has already contacted him to obtain all the relevant information.”

"Specific investigations have been carried out in the area known as Huertos del Pedregal de Culiacán and at the airfield that was possibly used in this case, as well as on all runways that may be specifically linked to these presumptions," the report states.

The Sinaloa Attorney General's Office requested information from Governor Rubén Rocha Moya in the investigation that he opened after the capture of Ismael el Mayo Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López and took on the investigation of the murder of Héctor Melesio Cuen Ojeda.

The FGR reported that immediately after the events involving Mayo and Joaquín occurred, it opened file number SON/HSO/0001/882/2024, for the possible crimes of illegal flight; illegal use of air facilities; violation of immigration and customs legislation; kidnapping; treason; and whatever else may result, and the crimes of homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty, and the resulting profits are being added following the recent allegations.

The possible crime of 'treason' has peeked the interest of numerous US news outlets. In Mexico, the act of taking someone against their will to a foreign country is considered an act of treason.

US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said no U.S. resources were used in the “rendition” of Zambada: “It was not our plane, not our pilot, and not our people.”

AMLO & Sheinbaum Visit Culiacan

López Obrador and Sheinbaum appeared Saturday in Sinaloa at the opening of a hospital. Governor Rubén Rocha Moya inaugurated the new Bernardo J. Gastélum General Hospital of Culiacán. The president and president-elect are from the same political party as Rocha, the Sinaloa governor.

At the inauguration of the hospital in Culiacán, Rocha spoke for more than ten minutes to defend himself further, stating.

"I did not want to, I did not want to let the event pass, in front of my President and my President, to make our situation absolutely clear, there is nothing, they should look for him, they will investigate, they should look for him, there is nothing."

President-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced that Governor Rubén Rocha Moya will continue with all the support of the presidency stating. “That is why I come to commit myself, to continue fighting alongside you for our beautiful and beloved Mexico, to tell you that we will continue supporting the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya and his people, that whoever wants to stigmatize this beautiful state should stick with its history, because men and women of Sinaloa are good Mexicans, men and women of work.”

Sources Keegan Hamilton, LA Times, Riodoce, El Monitor, Proceso, Quadratin, Borderland Beat, Infobae, Infobae, Infobae, Narco Chronicles, Infobae, Infobae, Zeta Tijuana, Infobae, Infobae, Noticieristas, Riodoce

Categories: El Mayo, Ruben Rocha Moya, sinaloa cartel