Judge Amon agreed to dismiss the charges against Cienfuegos and his transfer to Mexico

Judge Carol Bagley Amon on Wednesday dismissed the four drug trafficking and money laundering charges against the general. Salvador Cienfuegos, Secretary of Defense of Mexico during the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto, in United States.

The military man, who has been in prison in the US since mid-October, agreed to be transferred to Mexico.

“Do you understand that you will be escorted and deported?” Judge Amon asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cienfuegos answered.

The US Department of Justice and the Attorney General’s Office reported yesterday in a joint statement that they would ask the judge to dismiss the criminal charges against Cienfuegos so that it could be investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted under Mexican law.

In the document, the US authorities justified their decision on grounds of foreign policy. They also explained that the evidence against the general had already been delivered to Mexico to support the investigations carried out in that country.

The tests include thousands of messages exchanged between Cienfuegos and members of the criminal group Cartel H-2, which operated as a spin-off of the organization of the Beltran Leyva, on the north Pacific coast of Mexico.

The Mexican Chancellor, Marcelo Ebrard, appeared this Wednesday before the press and assured that Cienfuegos will be repatriated to Mexico as “Citizen in freedom”.

In the last hearing in the US, key to the fate of the former head of Sedena, Judge Carol Amon ensured that the decision not to try Mexico’s Secretary of Defense came from the highest level of the US Department of Justice.

“As I understand it, this decision to request the dismissal was made at the highest level of government, by the United States Department of Justice. […] Although these are very serious charges against a very significant figure, I have no reason to doubt the determination of the government and that in Mexico the judicial authorities continue with the investigation and possible prosecution of this accused. There is no indication that this request is being made in bad faith or that it goes against the public interest, so I will grant the request ”.

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