During the commemorative ceremony of the Bicentennial of the Heroic Military College of Veracruz, President Andres Manuel López Obrador was decorated with Salvador Cienfuegos, who served as Secretary of National Defense for a six-year term under Enrique Pea Nieto and was arrested in 2020 in the United States.
Why was Cienfuegos given a medal by AMLO?
The former head of Sedena received the award “Bicentennial of the Heroic Military College”, a recognition intended for Army leaders for their valuable contribution to the development of the military institution. Hundreds of fires He served as the school’s director from 1997 to 2000.
This decoration caused controversy in social networks about the past of General Cienfuegos, which, although he was exonerated, was marked by the investigation carried out against him.
Why was Salvador Cienfuegos detained?
In October 2020, Salvador Cienfuegos was arrested by US authorities on charges of alleged involvement in drug trafficking. However, after a few months, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) charges were dropped, and responsibility for the investigation shifted to Mexico. In 2021, the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) investigated hundreds of fires and concluded that no criminal action should be taken against him.
López Obrador, who today presented the “Bicentennial of the Heroic Military College” award to the former Secretary of Defense of Pea Nieto, explained a couple of years ago that in his latest literary work, titled “Halfway, you can read the handwritten letter the general sent Salvador Cienfuegos. Already in the book, you can see the text where the general pointed out that his arrest was unjust and arbitrary.
I am writing these letters to you, surrounded by circumstances that have occurred. The 15th of this month coincided with my arrest at the airport of this city (Los Angeles). An arbitrary, unjustified, and humiliating detention
In the end, Cienfuegos was exonerated, and there was no evidence that he had involvement in drug trafficking. Because of this, today he will be seen greeting the highest commander of the Armed Forces at the ceremony where he was recognized.
