Mexican Judge Agrees to Re-Open Case Against Ex-Army General Salvador Cienfuegos

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda had his charges dropped in Mexico after President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the drug cartel allegations against him were "politically motivated". In the US, Cienfuegos was accused of collaborating with a faction of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. 

A Mexican federal judge admitted a legal motion filed by the LeBarón family, with seeks to reopen the investigation against the former Secretary of National Defense (Sedena), Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, who was implicated last year of having ties to a drug cartel.

Germán Cruz Silva, Second District Judge in Administrative Matters in Mexico City, agreed to review the motion and ruled in favor of it today.

However, the Office of the President of Mexico and Ministry of Foreign Relations (SRE) contested the judge's decision and will fight to close the case.

Bryan and Adrián LeBarón went to the National Palace to present a letter to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) to inform him of the request to re-open the case.

"Leaving the case of General Cienfuegos unpunished ... would be failing to do justice to every life lost, every family destroyed, and every unfinished future. Because that is the result of protecting organized crime from Mexico's state institutions", LeBaron's letter read.

At a press conference, Bryan LeBarón declared:

"We promoted the legal motion because, as a society, we have the right to know the truth and have justice Narco-politicians who protect criminals from the institutions are more dangerous than hitmen who pull the trigger. We are going to do everything in our power because we do not want our children to continue being the victims of complicity."

The Lebarons thanked AMLO for the support that his government has given in the November 2019 murder investigation against 9 of their family members, but asked him to respect the autonomy of the courts to re-open Cienfuegos' case.

Background

Cienfuegos was the head of the Mexican Army during the administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto. During his tenure, Juan Francisco Patron Sanchez ("El H2") was the head of a group that the US refers to as the H2 Cartel, a faction of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO). 

While El H2 was alive, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted several phone conversations he had with drug traffickers. These conversations served as evidence against Cienfuegos, who the US claims was known by the BLO was "El Padrino" (The Godfather).

Cienfuegos was indicted in the US for reportedly helping the BLO's drug trafficking operations. He was arrested in October 2020 in Los Angeles in one of the highest-profile drug trafficking cases in recent decades.

However, his arrest angered the Mexican Army, who claimed that the evidences against Cienfuegos were "fabricated". After months of secret meetings between Mexican and US officials, Cienfuegos' charges were dropped and he was allowed to return to Mexico. There were rumors that the Mexican Army threatened to refuse to collaborate with the DEA after this incident.

Once in Mexico, a court ruled that Cienfuegos was innocent and his criminal allegations were dismissed. This decision was supported by AMLO and approved by Mexico's Attorney General's Office (FGR).

Sources: Milenio; Proceso; Borderland Beat archives