Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mexico-corruption/not-guilty-mexican-ex-army-chief-pleads-in-high-stakes-cartel-case-idUSKBN27L2MP
Salvador Cienfuegos, the former Mexican Defense Minister, was arrested in October at the Los Angeles International Airport by U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials. He has pleaded not guilty to the drug charges on November 5, 2020. He is being moved to Brooklyn, New York to await trial.
This strange twist on Mexico’s war on drug gangs has many people shocked as to what he was actually doing as the defense minister. It has also strained the relationship with the United States to stop the flow of drug transport across the borders. The U.S. legal case is based off of many intercepted Blackberry phone messages that show that Cienfuegous was using the power of his office to protect the Beltran-Leyva cartel and assisting with their operations.
General Cienfuegos’ lawyer, Edward Sapone, states that his client is presumed innocent of the charges and will work to make sure his constitutional rights are protected. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Ovrador is questioning the lack of information that was given to the Mexican government prior to the arrest and what roles the DEA and other U.S. government agencies had in Mexico accusing them of having worked for years with other criminals in Mexico. Mr. Sapone has worked in the United States for the Mexican consulate for the past 19 years working with unrelated situations.
This is a very serious situation for the United States and the out of control illegal drugs being brought into the country by way of Mexico. It is disturbing to think that the Mexican Defense Minister was using his power to help cover-up the flow of drugs into the United States. It is unbelievable to think that he was working to protect a large drug cartel as they carried drugs into the United States. It is also going to put a political strain on our relationship with our neighbor to the south as they question our government’s reach into their country to work to arrest their former Defense Minister.
According to the UN, NGOs are a vital part of assisting in the fight against drug cartels. These NGOs band together to aid the government across the borders to locate the cartels.