Mexico City, Mexico — The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has determined that General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda never met or communicated with members of the criminal organization investigated by the United States, nor did he protect or help them.
For these reasons, the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) says they will not bring criminal action against General Salvador Cienfuegos. In a statement, the FGR says they also analyzed his financial data and found him to be in compliance with tax obligations without detecting his obtaining any form of illegal income, including an increase in assets outside his normal earning range.
“For the above reasons, and based on the reasoning and evidence in the corresponding folder, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, through the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime Investigation, has determined the non-exercise of criminal action in favor of General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda,” reported the Prosecutor’s Office through a statement.
On October 15, 2020, DEA agents arrested General Cienfuegos at the airport in the city of Los Angeles, California, subjecting him to prosecution for drug-related crimes and money laundering.
After five weeks of detention, the United States Department of Justice asked the judge to dismiss the charges against him, to which she agreed.
“During his period of detention, and after having already been informed of the procedure, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) requested and received the evidence sent by US authorities regarding the case,” the statement details.
On November 18, 2020, General Cienfuegos was transferred to Mexico and handed over to the Federal Public Ministry.
After analyzing the evidence, the Prosecutor’s Office reached the conclusion that Salvador Cienfuegos “never had any encounter with the members of the criminal organization investigated by the North American authorities and neither did he maintain any communication with them, nor did he carry out acts aimed at protecting or helping said individuals.”
The Prosecutor’s Office also found no evidence that he had used “any equipment or electronic means, or that he had issued any order to favor the criminal group indicated in this case.”