Yesterday, the Justice Department announced that it would drop drug trafficking charges against former Mexico defense minister General Salvador Cienfuegos, allowing Mexico to prosecute the case instead.
The attorney general of Mexico, Alejandro Gertz Manero and Attorney General William P. Barr said, “In recognition of the strong law enforcement partnership between Mexico and the United States, and in the interests of demonstrating our united front against all forms of criminality, the U.S. Department of Justice has made the decision to seek dismissal of the U.S. criminal charges against former Secretary Cienfuegos, so that he may be investigated and, if appropriate, charged, under Mexican law.”
The judge overseeing the case has not yet agreed to dismiss charges. The arrest of Cienfuegos marked the highest-level Mexican government official ever taken into custody on charges of aiding drug cartels. Mr. Barr said, “As part of an agreement with the Mexican authorities, the Justice Department had provided the evidence it had collected against General Cienfuegos to investigators there.”
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