The theater of security in El Salado
On Thursday, the small municipality of El Salado, Sinaloa, became the scene of a display that seemed straight out of a movie. Helicopters, Army, National Guard and Navy. All to search for Omar Oswaldo Torres Cabada, a member of the faction known as Mayiza.
But in the midst of the chaos, the plot took an unexpected turn. The neighbors saw how Mónica del Rosario Zambada Niebla, daughter of the powerful Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, and her own youngest daughter, were protected by the uniformed men.
“First we safeguarded the safety of all those present, including the minor. There was no arrest or judicial charges,”
The federal Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, later explained. According to him, it was a preventive action. A movement to guarantee the physical integrity of both people and agents during the operation.
The administrative paradox
Here is the detail that makes you think. Mónica Zambada is on the black list in the United States. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) included her back in 2007 for her alleged links with three companies that would launder Cartel money.
But that designation is administrative. It is not a court order. There is no Mexican or gringo commandment that authorizes his capture. Therefore, after approximately an hour in a secured property, she and her daughter were put on a helicopter and handed over to relatives.
Meanwhile, on social networks, neighbors shared videos where screams could be heard asking for his release. The community was marked by the massive presence of federal forces.
What remains after the dust? An uncomfortable question about the true objective of these spectacular interventions and their real impact on communities that live under another law.
