A series of comments by the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sparked new controversy in Mexico, as he pointed to “high-level officials” within the government as “working directly” with Mexican terrorist organizations such as Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Over the weekend, DEA Director Terrence Cole spoke with Univision, where he pointed to the most recent indictment against CJNG. In that indictment, Cole pointed to high-level government officials in Mexico working directly with drug cartels and said that the U.S. government was going to go after them. Cole also pointed to close cooperation with Mexico’s security chief Omar Garcia Harfuch.
The comments come at a time when tensions have been rising in Mexico over the recent move by Sinaloa’s Governor Ruben Rocha Moya, who publicly announced that he was returning to his position after having stepped down months prior due to being criminally indicted on drug trafficking conspiracy and weapons charges by the U.S. Department of Justice and being labeled a wanted fugitive. Just one day later, Rocha Moya took indefinite leave. As Breitbart Texas reported, Rocha Moya claimed to have worked to clear his name through Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office. The move led to political infighting within Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA, which turned its back on Rocha Moya, claiming he was placing his personal interests above the party’s well-being. Those who turned their backs on Rocha Moya included President Claudia Sheinbaum, who had publicly defended him at first by openly challenging the DOJ and claiming the case was politically motivated.
The Rocha Moya case comes just days after Andres Manuel Lopez Beltran, the son of former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, announced that his U.S. visa had been revoked. While no public reason was given by the U.S. Department of State, Secretary Marco Rubio had previously pointed to the revocation of dozens of visas tied to CJNG, Breitbart Texas reported.
While Lopez Beltran has not been publicly named in any criminal indictment, his name has been tied in various Breitbart Texas news reports and numerous other articles in Mexico in connection with the smuggling of fuel as part of a CJNG operation that also includes Mexican navy officials at the highest levels.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.