Jeffrey Lichtman, Ovidio Guzman's lawyer, lashed out again at Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, following her statements on Thursday in which she insisted that the United States government should return Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada to Mexico to face justice.

Lichtman criticized Sheinbaum, who during her press conference reiterated her request that US authorities provide information on “El Mayo” Zambada, former leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

We continue to insist, it is obviously up to the United States government to provide all the information, but we are going to continue insisting, the president said when questioned by a reporter.

In addition, Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico has worked in collaboration with the United States without interference and without subordination and that she hopes that this cooperation is based on mutual trust, particularly on security issues.

Lichtman criticizes Sheinbaum's stance

Lichtman, who represents Ovidio Guzman, son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman, strongly criticized Sheinbaum's position, pointing out that Mexico was never interested in capturing Zambada when he was in national territory so that he could answer to justice and now that he is imprisoned in the United States, They want him back.

“For 50 years they had no interest in bringing him to justice in Mexico. Suddenly, now that he is no longer in Mexico, they can’t stop demanding his return,” wrote Jeffrey Lichtman on his X social media account.

This is not the first verbal exchange between the lawyer and the president. On July 14, Sheinbaum reacted to Lichtman’s statements, who described the Mexican government’s position of trying to intervene in Ovidio Guzmán’s plea deal in the United States as “absurd. ”She claimed that the Mexican president was a "drug publicist."

The Mexican president then announced that her government would file a defamation lawsuit against Lichtman, accusing him of spreading false information. "I am not going to engage in dialogue with a drug trafficker's lawyer," Sheinbaum said at her press conference.

Tensions over the Ovidio Guzman case

Tensions increased after Ovidio Guzmán pleaded guilty to four charges in a Chicago court. In that same process, Lichtman accused the Mexican government of ignoring other drug trafficking leaders who, according to him, enjoy protection in the country.

In his criticisms, Lichtman also questioned the position of Sheinbaum and the Mexican government, pointing out that their insistence on participating in Ovidio Guzman's plea deal is inconsistent, citing the case of former general Salvador Cienfuegos, who was exonerated in 2020 after being detained in the US for alleged ties to drug trafficking. The lawyer argued that Mexico "violated a bilateral agreement" by exonerating Cienfuegos.

The case of Ovidio Guzman, who faces multiple drug trafficking-related charges, remains one of the most controversial in the relationship between Mexico and the United States.