Mexican authorities are considering bringing charges against individuals who allegedly facilitated the handover of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, a prominent drug lord and co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, to the United States last month.

On July 25, U.S. officials announced that Zambada Garcia was apprehended in El Paso, Texas, alongside Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of the cartel’s other co-founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Guzmán López reportedly flew to the U.S. to surrender to American authorities, but before departing Mexico, he allegedly abducted Zambada Garcia and forced him onto the plane.

Instead of expressing gratitude to the U.S. for capturing Zambada Garcia, who has been a significant figure in the cartel’s decades-long reign of terror and violence across Mexico, Mexican prosecutors are contemplating treason charges against Guzmán López and any other individuals involved in the abduction.

On Sunday, the Mexican attorney general’s office revealed that it had initiated a criminal investigation “for the possible crimes of illegal flight, illicit use of airports, immigration and customs violations, kidnapping, treason, and any other crimes that may apply.”

The U.S. government had offered a $15 million reward for Zambada Garcia’s capture, and Mexico’s response is rooted in the country’s penal code, which outlines prison sentences of up to 40 years for treason, as reported by the Associated Press.

The relevant penal code article encompasses traditional definitions of treason, such as attacking Mexico on behalf of a foreign power or serving a foreign army, but also specifies that treason is committed by anyone who illegally abducts “a person in Mexico in order to hand them over to authorities of another country.”

This clause was incorporated in response to the abduction of Mexican doctor Humberto Machaín in 1990, who was kidnapped in Mexico and transferred to the U.S. Machaín was wanted for his alleged involvement in the 1985 torture and murder of Administration (DEA) agent Kiki Camarena.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reportedly voiced his concerns about the U.S. policy of detaining drug cartel leaders on Monday, questioning, “Why don’t they change that policy?”

Over the weekend, Zambada Garcia’s lawyer released a letter from his client, claiming that he was ambushed and kidnapped while believing he was going to meet with the governor of Sinaloa. According to Zambada Garcia’s account, he was taken against his will to the U.S.

Zambada Garcia also reportedly stated in the letter that Guzmán López invited him to a meeting on July 25 with local politicians, but instead, he was taken to a room, knocked down, and had a hood placed over his head. Zambada Garcia asserted that he was handcuffed, transported to a landing strip in a pickup truck, and forced onto a private plane that flew him to U.S. soil.

In the letter, he raised questions about the connections between Sinaloa politicians and drug traffickers, although Gov. Richa Moya denies any links to criminals and claims that he was not in Sinaloa on the day of the abduction. Moya reportedly stated that he was in Los Angeles.

The attorney general’s office has assumed responsibility for the case, taking it over from Sinaloa state prosecutors.

Zambada Garcia has been including one filed in February in the Eastern District of New York accusing him of conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. Prosecutors alleged that he led “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

With Zambada Garcia now behind bars, experts suggest that many powerful figures in Mexico are concerned that he could cooperate with U.S. authorities in an effort to secure a more favorable deal, potentially implicating them in their collaborations with the cartels.

’ Adam Shaw and