Tour in the United States: Trump drops charges against Salvador Cienfuegos, former defense minister and Mexican drug trafficker

The U.S. government has surprisingly announced it is withdrawing drug trafficking charges against former Mexican defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos be investigated in your country. The decision concludes an intense secret negotiation between the two countries.

Specifically, the United States Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that it would drop drug trafficking charges. and money laundering against Salvador Cienfuegos, in an unprecedented decision that the Mexican government praise and that some analysts are beginning to interpret as a “gift” from the government of Donald Trump to his neighbor to the south for not having recognized the triumph of Democrat Joe Biden.

According to the surprise announcement by the US Department of Justice, the decision was adopted “in recognition of the strong law enforcement cooperation between the two countries and the interest in showing a united front against all forms. of crime “.

Thus culminates an intense secret negotiation between the Mexican and American governments. This Wednesday the hearing is scheduled before Judge Carol Amon, during which it is expected that the magistrate will sign the order.

US Justice Secretary William Barr said in a statement his agency would dismiss the case so that Cienfuegos “can be investigated and, if deemed appropriate, prosecuted. in accordance with Mexican law. ”

One hundred fires He has been detained since October 15 moved to Los Angeles, California, and was then transferred to New York City, where the drug trafficking and money laundering indictment is found.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, applauded the decision calling it an “act of sympathy and respect for Mexico and its armed forces”. In order to reach this agreement, Mexico argued that if the alleged crimes were committed in that country, the retired officer should also be prosecuted in Mexican territory.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office has accused Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, chief secretary of National Defense under Enrique Peña Nieto’s administration, of four crimes drug trafficking and money laundering to help H-2 cartel to smuggle tons of cocaine, heroin, amphetamines and marijuana to the United States between 2015 and 2017 in exchange for millionaire bribes.

In case of trial and conviction in the United States, the former minister faced a ten-year prison sentence up to life imprisonment.

“Foreign policy first”

Acting Counsel Seth DuCharme noted that “ the United States has determined that important and sensitive foreign policy considerations exceed the government’s interest in continuing the process against the accused. ”

He added that “the evidence in this case is strong” and that the withdrawal of the charges is “res judicata”, so that “Mexico may act first”.

Samuel González, founder of the Mexican Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office, told The Associated Press that this means the United States could restore the charges if Mexico does not conduct the investigation properly.

DEA Notice

The Department of Justice petition also states that Cienfuegos has voluntarily agreed to return to Mexico and that the transfer will be “without delay”.

Mike Vigil, former DEA chief of international operations, told The Associated Press that the announcement is “discouraging” and “disappointing”, and estimated that there will be little chance of the general being prosecuted in Mexico, a country where more than 90% of crimes go to trial.

“López Obrador was very subordinate to Donald Trump on immigration matters and hesitated to congratulate Joe Biden, ” Vigil said. “It’s nothing more than a gift, a huge gift,” from Trump, he added.

“To send a very negative message To American agencies that Donald Trump is ready to manipulate legal procedures, ” he added.

In the army and with the narcos

Cienfuegos was the head of the Mexican army for six years in the government of former President Enrique Peña Nieto, and was the former senior official to be arrested since former Public Safety Secretary Genaro García Luna was detained in Texas in 2019. López Obrador’s government n ‘made public no diplomatic attempt to transfer García Luna to stand trial in Mexico.

Cienfuegos was indicted by an investigative jury in New York in 2019 and accused of participating in an international network of drug trafficking and money laundering. Prosecutors said he helped the H-2 cartel smuggle cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana while he was defense secretary between 2012 and 2018.

According to prosecutors, intercepted messages showed that Cienfuegos took action to ensure that the army not to act against this cartel, but operations will be launched against rival groups in exchange for bribes. He was also accused of introducing cartel leaders to other corrupt Mexican government officials.

In court documents filed last month, U.S. prosecutors said there was a high risk that Cienfuegos escaped and that he used “his connections” with members of the H-2 cartel and other former senior officials “to help him circumvent US laws and protect him in Mexico.”

The Mexican military has been accused of frequent Human rights abuse, both under the command of Cienfuegos and with his predecessors and successors. One of the biggest scandals of his time as secretary was a massacre in June 2014, when the military killed 22 suspects in a warehouse in the city of Tlatlaya, in the state of Mexico, and he was subsequently shown that at least 8 of them were executed after surrendering.

Before the detention of Cienfuegos by the United States, there was no investigation in Mexico but Foreign Minister Ebrard explained that at that time an investigation had been opened and that since November 6, the attorney general’s office (FGR) already has all the documentation for the investigation. American.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs did not specify whether the former secretary would be detained once he entered the country and simply said that “he will be received” by the prosecution, which will decide on his legal situation.

AP Y RFI

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