US drops charges against Mexican ex-defense chief

US Attorney General Bill Barr announced on Tuesday that he planned to drop charges against the former Mexican minister of defense, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda.

Barr, and his Mexican counterpart Alejandro Gertz Manero, said in a joint statement that the US intends to lift its drug trafficking and money laundering charges against the 72-year-old so that the investigations could be turned over to the Mexican authorities.

"The US Department of Justice has made the decision to seek dismissal of the US criminal charges against former Secretary Cienfuegos, so that he may be investigated and, if appropriate, charged, under Mexican law," the statement said.

Case dropped over 'sensitive' foreign policy concerns

US officials cited the two countries' strong law enforcement partnership and "united front" against drug trafficking and the cartels.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard confirmed the reports on Twitter saying: "I'm being asked if it's true that the US state prosecutor is dropping the charges against General Cienfuegos who would be returned to Mexico in order to be prosecuted here in accordance with the judge in the case. Yes it's true. It's down to an agreement between the Mexican prosecution and the US Department of Justice."

The Department of Justice also committed to supporting the Mexican investigation and had provided evidence on the case.

According to a court filing seen by Reuters, "sensitive and important foreign policy considerations" outweighed any interest in prosecuting Cienfuegos and played a role in the charges being lifted.

'Slim' chances of a conviction in Mexico

Ebrard also spoke at a press conference, saying: "We don't see it as a path to impunity but rather as an act of respect toward Mexico and Mexico's armed forces."

He also denied that the agreement had anything to do with the Mexican president's decision not to congratulate US President.elect Joe Biden on his electoral victory.

Mike Vigil, former chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration's international operations called the move "nothing more than a gift, a huge gift" from the outgoing US President Donald Trump to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had been "very subservient to Trump on immigration issues and has hesitated in congratulating Joe Biden."

"The chances of Cienfuegos being convicted in Mexico are slim to none," Vigil added, pointing to the General's political connections and the country's idolization of the military.

Mexico protests General's arrest

The former head of the Mexican army was arrested at Los Angeles airport in October, to the chagrin of the government in Mexico City who had not been informed beforehand.

President Lopez Obrador criticized the US for failing to share the information it had on Cienfuegos. Security cooperation between the two countries had become strained in the fallout of the arrest.

The indictment was filed in August 2019, but was only made public after arrest, apparently because of suspicion among US law enforcement about corrupt Mexican officials.

A retired general, Cienfuegos pleaded not guilty to the drug-related charges. The indictment filed by the New York City District Attorney's office alleged that he had abused his position "to help the H-2 Cartel, an extremely violent Mexican drug trafficking organization."

Based on the charges against him in the US, Cienfuegos had been facing between 10 years and life imprisonment, had he been found guilty.

ab/rs (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)