Both Zambada and Guzman Lopez have pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in the US and their lawyers offered contrasting versions of their arrests.

Zambada’s lawyer said Guzman Lopez and six men in military uniforms “forcibly kidnapped” his client near the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan and flew him to the US against his will. The Guzman family lawyer denied kidnapping and called it a voluntary surrender after extended negotiations.

The murky circumstances leading to the Sinaloa Cartel members’ US arrest last month caused Mexico’s president to reproach the Latin American nation’s neighbour for lack of cooperation.

“No US resources were used in the surrender. It was not our plane, nor our pilot, nor our people,” the embassy said in a statement.

It added that no flight plan had been shared with US authorities and the pilot was neither a US citizen and nor had he been hired by the US government.

“This represents a great victory for both countries,” the embassy said in the statement. “It is the result of a very precise work based on the principles of respect for our respective sovereignties and we do this work as partners.”