Just hours after U.S. prosecutors announced they would not seek the death penalty against Mexican drug lords Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration supports the decision, arguing that capital punishment is incompatible with extradition cases between the United States and Mexico.
On Tuesday, prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York filed notices in both cases stating that the U.S. attorney general had authorized and directed them not to pursue the death penalty against the former drug lords despite President Donald Trump's previous calls for capital punishment for drug traffickers.
Zambada and Caro Quintero have consistently pleaded not guilty to a range of drug trafficking charges, and it remains unclear whether removing the death penalty signals the possibility of a plea agreement in each case.
Speaking during her Wednesday morning press conference, Sheinbaum reiterated that her administration opposes capital punishment regardless of the crime.
"It's not something we agree with, so when there is no death penalty, it is simply part of Mexico's policy. It is not a personal matter," Sheinbaum said.
She emphasized that Mexico's opposition to the death penalty is embedded in all extradition treaties with the United States, based on the principle of reciprocity, meaning capital punishment cannot be applied in such cases. She added that this principle should also extend to situations outside formal extradition, such as deportations.
"In the case of other forms of deportation and so on, what Mexico seeks is this reciprocity with our laws. It has nothing to do with the individual involved. We simply do not agree with the death penalty," she said.
When asked whether her administration played any role in the U.S. decision or whether a plea deal had been made, Sheinbaum said Mexico was not involved.
"We have no information indicating any type of agreement. These are decisions made by the U.S. government," she said.
Pressed further on the possibility of negotiations with Zambada, Sheinbaum said the details remain unknown.
"We don't know what kind of agreement they may have with this person, because it's not public. For example, we don't know if they plan to release him. We simply don't know," she said. "What we do know is that the terms of any extradition agreement must always be respected.
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