In Mexico there "was" a narco-state....says the president of Mexico 'AMLO'

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat  Reforma

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared that when Genaro García Luna, currently in process in The United States, was Secretary of Security, there was a narco-state in Mexico.

In his conference, López Obrador was questioned about the allegations of the permanence in the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) of officials who in the investigations into García Luna and accomplices would be protecting that corruption network.

The President replied that there is no impunity in his government and said he trusts the performance of Prosecutor Alejandro Gertz Manero.

"I clarify two things, first that there is no impunity, no one is protected, although there is autonomy and the independence of the Attorney General's Office is respected, we are not silent when it comes to giving privileges or impunity to alleged criminals, So there is nothing to fear in this case and in that investigation of Mr. García Luna, apart from what is being done in the United States, what is being tried, in Mexico there are also open files and the same from Mr. Cárdenas Palomino and Mr. Pequeno," he said.

The Chief Executive said that if there are officials from the García Luna group in his government, his instruction is not to protect anyone, and he trusts that the same will happen in the FGR [attorney general office].

"I trust the Prosecutor Alejandro Gertz Manero, he is a man of integrity, he is not going to cover up and he is not going to protect anyone, the time is past when only those who did not have handles, who had no influence, were judged. it punishes equally those who commit crimes, "he said.

The Secretary of Security, Alfonso Durazo, he said, was instructed months ago not to allow people who have worked during the time that García Luna was head of the SSP to work in the current government.

"Because it is a really shameful matter that he acted as Secretary of Public Security of the federal Government and at the same time protected one of the organized crime gangs, how it is being revealed," he criticized.

"Imagine what situation the country was in, there was talk of a narco-state and I, honestly, at that time, thought that it was not correct to classify the Mexican state in that way….

But then, with all this that is coming to light, well, yes, one can speak of a narco-state, because the government was taken over, those who were in charge of fighting crime were at the service of criminals, crime was in command."

Crime, he acknowledged, decided who to pursue and who to protect, which must be addressed so that it does not happen again.

"This has to be addressed so that it is never repeated, there has to be a dividing line, a border between authority and crime, not mixing, there is no collusion because then we are all unprotected, we are left defenseless, we are in the hands crime, then, it is a matter that must continue to be dealt with without regard, without protecting anyone, without impunity."