Mexico clears general, publishes US evidence against him

FILE- In this Oct 16, 2020 courtroom drawing, former Mexican defense secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos appears in federal court in Los Angeles. Cienfuegos, who led Mexico’s army for six years under ex-President Enrique Peña Nieto, pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges via remote appearance on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in federal court in New York City.(Bill Robles via AP, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2020 file photo, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador attends the commemoration of his second anniversary in office at the National Palace in Mexico City. One day after Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office announced it was dropping the drug trafficking case against its former defense secretary, López Obrador said Friday, Jan. 15, 2020 that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had “fabricated” the accusations against retired Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2016 file photo, Secretary of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda arrives for a review of the troops that will participate in the Independence Day parade, in Mexico City. Mexican prosecutors on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, declared completely unfounded the U.S. case against Cienfuegos who was arrested on drug charges in the United States and then returned under pressure from the Mexican government. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)