| Salvador Cienfuegos | |
|---|---|
| |
| Secretary of National Defense | |
In office 1 December 2012 – 30 November 2018 | |
| President | Enrique Peña Nieto |
| Preceded by | Guillermo Galván Galván |
| Succeeded by | Luis Cresencio Sandoval |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 June 1948[1] Mexico City |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Mexico |
| Service/branch | Mexican Army |
| Rank | Division General |
| Battles/wars | Mexican Dirty War Chiapas conflict Mexican drug war |
Division General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda (Mexico City, 14 June 1948) is a retired Mexican Army officer. He served as the Secretary of National Defense in the government of President Enrique Peña Nieto from 2012 to 2018.[1]
He served as a military and air attaché in the Mexican embassies in Japan and South Korea. He has also participated in diplomatic visits in the United States, Chile, the People's Republic of China, and Cuba.[2] From 1997 to 2000 he was the commandant of the Military Academy in Mexico City.[1]
Cienfuegos was arrested by U.S. officials on 15 October 2020 at Los Angeles International Airport on drug and money-laundering charges.[3][4] The U.S. alleged he used the alias "El Padrino" ("The Godfather") while working with the H-2 Cartel.[5] General Cienfuegos's arrest reportedly infuriated President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who appeared particularly riled that Mexican officials had not been informed about the investigation into the general.[6] The Mexican government warned the US it would review security agreements because it was not given advance notice of the arrest.[7]
On 18 November 2020, American authorities dropped charges against Cienfuegos, who had been in US detention for over a month. They also agreed to send him back to Mexico.[8] Media outlets reported that the charges had been dropped under pressure from the Mexican federal government, which had threatened to expel DEA agents from the country.[7] However, it was acknowledged that in exchange for the U.S. government's agreement to drop criminal charges against Cienfuegos, Mexican prosecutors afterwards opened their own investigation against him.[8]
On 16 December 2020, Mexico's Chamber of Deputies passed changes to a security law which tighten the rules governing foreign law enforcement agents. Under the new regulations which were backed by the Mexican president, foreign agents have to share the information they gather with Mexican officials. As well, foreign agents will no longer have immunity. Former US Attorney General William Barr warned Mexico that by passing this law, it would make US-Mexico cooperation "more difficult".[6] Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the changes were all about reciprocity. "We're not asking for anything which isn't expected of a Mexican diplomatic agent abroad."[6]
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "¿Quién es el detenido Salvador Cienfuegos, el militar de rostro duro?". El Universal. 15 October 2020. https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/quien-es-el-detenido-salvador-cienfuegos-el-militar-de-rostro-duro. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ↑ El Universal. "Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda" (in es). Yo Político. http://yopolitico.redpolitica.mx/yopolitico/view/50a3fd3c-ac28-4265-9489-6b47c0a802cc. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ "Mexico’s Former Defense Minister Is Arrested in Los Angeles". The New York Times. 16 October 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/16/us/mexico-general-cienfuegos-dea.html.
- ↑ "Mexico's ex-defence minister arrested in the US". https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54552057. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ↑ https://www.npr.org/2020/10/16/924375024/former-defense-secretary-of-mexico-arrested-in-los-angeles-on-drug-charges
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Mexico lawmakers restrict foreign law enforcement agents" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2020-12-16. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55331535.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Mexico's president: we didn't threaten to expel U.S. drug agents over General Cienfuegos arrest". 19 November 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-usa/mexicos-president-we-didnt-threaten-to-expel-u-s-drug-agents-over-general-cienfuegos-arrest-idUSKBN27Z26T. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Former Mexican defense secretary accused of drug trafficking to be turned over to Mexico for investigation". CNN. November 18, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/18/americas/mexican-defense-secretary-drug-trafficking-investigation/index.html. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Salvador Cienfuegos and the edit history here.