The former Mexican Minister of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos, accused of drug trafficking in the United States where he was imprisoned between October and November, will not be prosecuted by the justice of his country, announced Thursday the Mexican prosecution.
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The prosecution “decided not to exercise public action” for the benefit of General Cienfuegos, he said in a statement in which he assures that he has not found evidence incriminating the former minister.
The prosecution declared that it had come to “the conclusion that General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda never had any meeting with members of the criminal organization which the American authorities have investigated”.
“He also did not have any communication whatsoever with them, and did not carry out acts tending to protect or help these individuals,” added the Mexican prosecution.
General Cienfuegos was arrested by US authorities on October 15 in Los Angeles as he arrived on vacation with his family.
US justice charged him with drug trafficking and money laundering for allegedly aiding a drug cartel called H-2 to “smuggle thousands of kilograms of cocaine, heroin into the United States illegally, methamphetamine and marijuana ”.
But Mexico protested that it had not been informed of the investigation carried out against its former defense minister by the DEA, the US anti-drug agency.
A New York judge then accepted an unusual request from the US government to drop the charges against General Cienfuegos, let him return to Mexico, and hand over to Mexican justice to investigate.
In its press release, the Mexican prosecution further indicates that it has found “no evidence” that Cienfuegos, Minister of Defense from 2012 to 2018, used “any equipment or electronic means” to “favor” delinquents, ” nor that he has issued any order ”to this effect.
Finally, there is no indication “of obtaining illegal income or an increase in its assets beyond normal”, says the prosecution.