DOJ Dropping Drug Charges Against Mexican General

The Department of Justice is asking that federal charges against former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda be dropped so that Mexico can pursue its own prosecution against the general. 

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/doj-to-drop-charges-against-former-mexican-defense-secretary-accused-of-helping-drug-cartels/ar-BB1b6GuH

“In recognition of the strong law enforcement partnership between Mexico and the United States, and in the interests of demonstrating our united front against all forms of criminality, the U.S. Department of Justice has made the decision to seek dismissal of the U.S. criminal charges against former Secretary Cienfuegos, so that he may be investigated and, if appropriate, charged, under Mexican law,” Barr said.”

I have no inside information about this case or General Cienfuegos, but a lot of us retired DEA agents are shaking our heads over this revelation. Frankly speaking, it stinks. I worked a lot of international cases in my day, cases that involved prosecution in two or more countries since trafficking drugs from one country to another automatically breaks the laws of both countries. There is no double jeopardy involved when a defendant is prosecuted by two different countries. When a person is indicted in the US but is being held by another country for prosecution and imprisonment, the American indictment sits and waits until the person is available to be tried in the US.

And as to the above statement from DOJ, how many times have we heard this said by our government leaders? Cooperation with Mexico has always been a mixed bag, traditionally hampered by Mexican corruption at every level. DEA agents, past and present, are still bitter over the 1985 kidnapping, torture, and murder of Agent Enrique Camarena, the involvement of Mexican officials, and the spotty prosecution of the perpetrators.  

On the surface, it would appear that Mexico is playing diplomatic hardball. Perhaps-and I underline perhaps, Mexico was caught off guard by the arrest of Cienfuegos in the US. I hope more will be revealed in the coming days and weeks because, frankly, the Justice Department has some explaining to do. I can only imagine the seething anger of those agents who worked long and hard to bring about the arrest of Cienfuegos.