The Curious Situation of Mexican Normal Cienfuegos

At a West Position ceremony in November 2018, the U.S. Defense Division conferred the Legion of Advantage on Mexico’s then-secretary of nationwide protection, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos. Considerably less than two several years later on, on Oct. 15, the retired Mexican four-star was arrested in Los Angeles on drug-trafficking and cash-laundering rates.

A grand jury in the Jap District of New York had handed up an indictment of Gen. Cienfuegos on Aug. 14, 2019, for crimes allegedly dedicated concerning December 2015 and February 2017. The indictment remained sealed till his arrest.

On Oct. 16, requesting a “permanent order of detention,” Acting U.S. Lawyer Seth D. DuCharme alleged ahead of the New York court docket that “while holding general public office environment in Mexico, the defendant applied his formal placement to guide the H-2 Cartel, a notorious Mexican drug cartel, in exchange for bribes.”

U.S. prosecutors insist they had what they essential to convict Gen. Cienfuegos, who was an active member of the Mexican military services throughout the 6 yrs (2012-18) he held the cupboard-degree publish in the govt of President Enrique Peña Nieto. But on Nov. 17, Legal professional Common William Barr dropped the case. The normal was introduced and on Nov. 18 returned to Mexico, the place the federal government has stated it will investigate the fees. The odds of that occurring are really long.

Chalk up one more loss for the futile, fifty percent-century-previous U.S. war on drugs. In this scenario, the circular logic out of Washington is that preserving Mexico as a U.S. companion in preventing transnational crime trumps true crime battling. The excellent news for the drug-war forms is that its work opportunities method is secure.