The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obradorrewarded this Wednesday a former defense secretary who was briefly detained in the United States in 2020 for alleged ties to drug trafficking.

Without any speeches involved, López Obrador granted the general permission Salvador Cienfuegos the award for his contributions as director of the “Heroic Military College”, during a ceremony commemorating the school’s 200th anniversary.

Cienfuegos, the president’s secretary of defense Enrique Pena Nieto (2012-2018), led the school between 1997 and 2000.

The retired officer received strong support from López Obrador when he was arrested on October 15, 2020 in the city of Los Angeles, United States. for alleged ties to a drug gang. Cienfuegos had been on vacation with his family.

In an unusual agreement between the two governments, Washington sent the general back to Mexico in November that year and provided alleged evidence against him for a possible trial, but the Mexican prosecutor’s office rejected this amid complaints from López Obrador that the anti-drug agency D.E.A He had fabricated the evidence.

The left-wing president subsequently promoted a reform limiting the actions of foreign agents in Mexico and disbanded a DEA-trained anti-narcotics unit, claiming it had been infiltrated by criminals.

López Obrador has expanded the armed forces’ participation in several areas, including his major infrastructure works, port management and a commercial airline, arguing that they are less prone to corruption and enjoy strong popular support. (JO)