November 17 the U.S. Department of Justice stated that it would withdraw the charges against former Mexican Secretary of Defense Cienfuegos and send him back to Mexico for potential prosecution. In mid-October, when Cienfuegos arrived in Los Angeles, he was arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from drug gangs. He was charged with multiple crimes, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
As the defense chief of the former president, Cienfuegos, now 72, served as defense minister in the government led by then-President Nieto from 2012 to 2018. The arrest of Cienfuegos caused a huge shock in public opinion in Mexico. And this time the US withdrew the accusations against him, which is also considered to break the precedent. The relevant statement pointed out that this move was made in view of the strong law enforcement partnership between Mexico and the United States, and at the same time, it was also made to demonstrate the united front of the two countries against all forms of crime.
