MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to Mexico confirmed on Friday that drug lord Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was brought to United States against his will when he arrived in Texas in July on a plane along with fellow drug lord Joaquín Guzmán López.

Zambada’s attorney had earlier claimed the long-time chief of the Sinaloa cartel had been kidnapped. But officials had not confirmed that and Zambada’s age and apparent ill-health had led some to speculate he turned himself in.

U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar on Friday said “the evidence we saw … is that they had brought El Mayo Zambada against his will.”

“This was an operation between cartels, where one turned the other one in,” Salazar said. Zambada’s faction of the Sinaloa cartel has been engaged in fierce fighting with another faction, lead by the sons of imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. Guzmán López is the half-brother of those factional leaders.

Salazar said no U.S. personnel, resources or aircraft were involved in the flight on which Guzmán López turned himself in, and that U.S. officials were “surprised” when the two showed up at an airport outside El Paso, Texas on July 25.

Frank Pérez, Zambada’s attorney, said in a statement in July that “my client neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the U.S. government.”

“Joaquín Guzmán López forcibly kidnapped my client,” Perez wrote. “He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head.”

Perez went on to say that Zambada, 76, was thrown in the back of a pickup truck, forced onto a plane and tied to the seat by Guzmán López.

In early August, Zambada made his second appearance in federal court in Texas after being taken into U.S. custody the week before.

Guzmán López had apparently long been in negotiations with U.S. authorities about possibly turning himself in. Guzmán López, 38, has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago.

But U.S. officials said they had almost no warning when Guzmán López’s plane landed at an airport near El Paso. Both men were arrested and remain jailed. They are charged in the U.S. with various drug crimes.

Salazar said the plane had taken off from Sinaloa — the Pacific coast state where the cartel is headquartered — and had filed no flight plan. He stressed the pilot wasn’t American, nor was the plane.

The implication is that Guzmán López intended to turn himself in, and brought Zambada with him to procure more favorable treatment, but his motives remain unclear.

Zambada was thought to be more involved in day-to-day operations of the cartel than his better-known and flashier boss, “El Chapo,” who was sentenced to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019.

Zambada is charged in a number of U.S. cases, including in New York and California. Prosecutors brought a new indictment against him in New York in February, describing him as the “principal leader of the criminal enterprise responsible for importing enormous quantities of narcotics into the United States.”

The capture of Zambada and Guzmán López — and the idea that one cartel faction had turned in the leader of the other — raised fears that the already divided cartel could descend into a spiral of violent infighting.

That prompted Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to take the unusual step of issuing a public appeal to drug cartels not to fight each other.

Charlotte Johnson, one of three trustees at the helm of the Otto Bremer Trust, has stepped down after roughly 30 years co-leading one of the region’s oldest philanthropies.

She selected her daughter, Caroline S. Johnson, a Bremer Bank branch manager, to replace her as trustee.

The St. Paul-based philanthropy announced Charlotte Johnson’s retirement and Caroline Johnson’s appointment as co-trustee on Friday. Caroline Johnson will lead the charity alongside longstanding trustee Daniel Reardon and former Cretin-Derham Hall president Francis Miley, who was appointed an Otto Bremer trustee in early 2023.

Caroline Johnson steps into her new role at a tumultuous time for the philanthropy, with a series of lawsuits between the bank, the charity and a cadre of East Coast hedge funds only recently having been settled after five years. Terms of the settlement have not been publicly disclosed, and it’s unclear if the charity — which owns Bremer Bank, one of the state’s oldest farm lenders — will sell controlling stakes in the financial institution to outside interests intent on selling the bank to new owners, as long planned.

“OBT is not at liberty to discuss those issues at this time, due to the confidentiality terms of the settlement agreement,” said a spokesperson for the trust, in a recent email.

The philanthropy, which was founded by German-American immigrant and banking impresario Otto Bremer in 1944, has granted more than $1 billion in charitable funding across the Midwest since its inception. Bremer hand-picked his top advisers to lead the charity and oversee Bremer Bank, writing into the trust’s founding documents that they, in turn, would each choose their own successors, and so forth.

Caroline Johnson has spent the last eight years working for Bremer Bank “in various roles in community banking,” including managing a Bremer Bank branch in New Richmond, Wis., according to a written announcement from the philanthropy.

“Caroline has nearly 20 years of leadership and financial management experience in banking and other industries,” reads the written statement, which did not list specific past employers or job titles. “She brings with her a wealth of knowledge about Otto Bremer and his legacy and has demonstrated her ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with peers and the public OBT serves.”

In 2023, the Otto Bremer Trust awarded upwards of $105 million in charitable funds through more than 1,100 grants and loans to 1,035 organizations in Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota and Wisconsin. More than $61 million of that total was spent in Minnesota.

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A high tech game of red-light green-light, pattern memorization and exploding asteroids tricks you into getting in a workout at Activate Games in Roseville.

“It’s been a lot of fun these first couple of weeks having people come through and get so excited about having a new concept in the area,” general manager Blake Telshaw said.

The concept originated in Canada and features game spaces that are minimally decorated but futuristic, with scannable radio-frequency identification wristbands that allow players access to nine different game spaces. The wristbands also track “Star reward” points and can even open a personal locker for important items like bags, wallets and phones.

Videos of the facilities posted on Tik Tok by both Activate Games and visitors have views ranging from 50,000 to 33 million views, with the game “Mega Grid” attracting the most attention.

“Whatever you want is the experience you can get,” Team lead Cory Iisakka said.

The nine games reinvent childhood schoolyard games, taking simple concepts like color matching and elevating them with touchscreens and interactive technology. Other games feel like something out of a spy movie, in which the player is tasked to crawl under laser beams and shoot at moving targets.

“Definitely do some research on the games before you come in,” player Tyler Carlson from Elk River said Thursday.

Whether people are looking to work as a team or compete against one another, games can be set accordingly in cooperation or competitive modes.

Each game also comes with its own variation of minigames to diversify play in each room. The nine unique games vary from challenging players through intense physical activity to mental strategy and problem solving.

“There’s always a different game or different room that appeals to people,” Telshaw said.

Activate Games in Roseville is a new active gaming facility that opened July 23, 2024, reinventing classic games from childhood like The Floor is Lava, and Red Light Green Light. (Courtesy of Activate Games)

Games like “Hide,” in which a player and partner race around a room hitting buttons in a numbered sequence, are physically involved. Telshaw said some people have used the facility to replace their gym memberships.

“It’s a really cool, fun way to work some exercise into your routine,” Iisakka said.

The game experience costs $29.99 per person, and booking must be made for two people, even if a person wants a solo play experience. Discounted deals run for groups of 10 or more. Prizes like merchandise and gift cards can also be redeemed using a player’s Star rewards. The space can also be rented out to host events like birthday parties and celebrations.

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“We’re geared towards friends and families that want to play,” Telshaw said.

There’s also bragging rights at stake: Players are automatically added to a leaderboard and every month the top five scorers qualify for an end of year tournament. The winner gets a cash prize and their name on a trophy.

Active Games Roseville opened July 23 and celebrated Thursday with Roseville Mayor Dan Roe cutting a ceremonial ribbon with the staff and team.

“I could see how groups could have a lot of fun here,” Roe said.

Activate Games

Activate Games in Roseville is a new active gaming facility that opened July 23, 2024. (Courtesy of Activate Games)

What: Interactive, live-action gaming facility.
Where: 1955 County Road B2 W., Roseville
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Info: To learn more or book an experience, visit playactivate.com/roseville.