Military shaken by arrest of former defense minister
Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday that his ambassador to the United States told him two weeks ago that there was an investigation underway there involving Mexico’s former defense secretary, who was arrested Thursday in Los Angeles.
The arrest of Mexico’s former defense minister, retired Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, on drug and money laundering charges shakes one of the few Mexican institutions that had maintained the confidence of the people.
Cienfuegos was arrested Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport at the request of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He had been Mexico’s top military official during the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto from 2012 to 2018.