U.S. drops drug charges against former Mexican general

NEW YORK — U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday formally dropped a drug trafficking and money laundering case against a former Mexican defence secretary, a decision that came after Mexico threatened to cut off co-operation with U.S. authorities unless the general was sent home.

A judge in New York City approved the dismissal of charges, capping a lightning-fast turnaround in the case of former Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, who was arrested just weeks ago in Los Angeles, but will be returned to Mexico under an unusual diplomatic deal between the two countries.

The decision to drop the case was an embarrassment for the United States, which had touted the arrest as a major breakthrough when Cienfuegos was taken into custody Oct. 15. But the arrest drew protests from officials in Mexico and threatened to damage the delicate relationship that enables investigators in both countries to pursue drug kingpins together.

“The United States determined that the broader interest in maintaining that relationship in a co-operative way outweighed the department’s interest and the public’s interest in pursuing this particular case,” Seth Ducharme, the acting U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, told the judge at a hearing.

He said the decision to drop the charges was made by Attorney General William Barr.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday that he told Barr that the U.S. had to choose between trying Cienfuegos and having continued co-operation.

“It is in your hands. You can’t have both,” Ebrard said.