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Anonymous ID: 1268c8 Jan. 15, 2021, 9:48 p.m. No.12545214   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>5326 >>5449 >>5491 >>5537 >>5651 >>5756 >>5824

Mexico Clears General, Publishes US Evidence Against Him

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of fabricating drug trafficking charges against the country’s former defense secretary.

 

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of fabricating drug trafficking charges against the country's former defense secretary even as his government published hundreds of pages of U.S. files that purported to show detailed evidence of the man's close links with a drug gang.

 

The decision to denounce U.S. prosecutors on Friday while clearing a top official of charges adds to a crisis in security cooperation for the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden.

 

It follows the Mexican government’s decision to restrict U.S. agents and remove their immunity, seemingly a a slap in the face after US efforts to appease Mexico by releasing retired Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos to be tried in Mexico.

 

The U.S. Department of Justice said it was “deeply disappointed” by the closure of the case against Cienfuegos. It also said publication of the evidence violates a legal assistance treaty and calls into question whether the U.S. can continue to share information.

 

It also said the published material demonstrated the strength of the evidence against Cienfuegos.

 

López Obrador has leaned heavily on the military for a wide range of projects well beyond security. In this case, he said that while many Mexicans see U.S. courts as “the good judges, flawless … in this case, with all respect, those that did this investigation did not act with professionalism."

 

His administration then published a 751-page file that U.S. authorities had shared to support what they intended to be Mexican prosecution of Cienfuegos. Intercepted Blackberry messenger exchanges between since-slain traffickers were marked: “Shared per court order, not for further distribution.”

 

It wasn’t immediately clear if release of the documents would affect other court cases in the U.S.

 

The U.S. government dropped its charges against Cienfuegos in November in a diplomatic concession to Mexico and sent him home, where he was immediately released.

 

LĂłpez Obrador said Friday that Mexican prosecutors had dropped the case because the evidence shared by the United States had no value to prove he committed any crime.

 

Article continues,

 

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-01-16/mexico-clears-general-publishes-us-evidence-against-him