“Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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“Just as I have the balls to come and make this video with my face, Mr. Ballouti, I am also standing with my people from Mayo Zambada, do you understand me? So check the information carefully…”
The notice was addressed to Othman El Ballouti, a drug trafficker who smuggles cocaine through Belgium and who was recently sanctioned by authorities in the United States due to his involvement in trafficking.
The video, just over a minute long, was released by journalist Jorin van de Az in the Dutch newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen on July 19, although the exact date of its creation is unknown. The clip shows an alleged Mexican drug trafficker in a white shirt and black cap inside a vehicle.
At first, the Mexican -identity unknown- offered an apology to Ballouti for sending his people to collect a debt. However, he later demanded that he settle the pending issues that he has with them.
In the video, a Mexican man addresses ‘Señor El Ballouti’ directly. The man speaks with the accent of someone from Sinaloa. The man in the video says he speaks on behalf of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the leader of the Sinaloa cartel.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ballouti, that I sent people to the door of one of your people to settle a debt,” he said apologetically. Then the tone becomes more menacing. The man tells El Ballouti to show the video to the Mexicans in Europe. “They will tell you who I am. I have the balls to show my face to you here.”
The man in the video believes that El Ballouti urgently needs to settle an old debt. “You need to get serious,” it sounds.
“But debts are debts of honor, debts of men. This business is for men, not fags. Then I ask you to get your act together with that debt, sir. In advance, I apologize again, but well, you also get serious. There we are. Take care of yourself, Ballouti family,” concluded the operator of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Who is Othman El Ballouti?
According to the US Treasury Department, Othman El Ballouti is considered a “high-level drug trafficker” who runs an international criminal organization that smuggles cocaine, which enters through the port of Antwerp in Belgium and is distributed throughout Europe.
Othamn operates alongside his younger brother, Younes El Ballouti. The illicit money obtained is “laundered” through companies headquartered in China. Due to their involvement in drug trafficking, they are wanted by the Belgian authorities.
However, both Othamn and Younes are presumed to be taking refuge in the United Arab Emirates, specifically Dubai, to avoid capture. Despite this, on July 19, the Treasury Department sanctioned these traffickers along with one of their Belgian operators, identified as Youssef Ben Azza, due to his illegal activities.