Mexico ex-army chief pleads not guilty in cartel case, testing U.S. bilateral ties

The former Mexican defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos plead not guilty to drug trafficking charges at a hearing in New York on Thursday, in a case that has deeply strained U.S. and Mexican anti-cartel cooperation.

Cienfuegos, who until two years ago a top player in Mexico's war on drug gangs, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport last month in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) operation. He was transferred to New York this week. Cienfuegos served as defense minister for six years under former President Enrique Pena Nieto. The arrest shocked the Mexican military establishment and put pressure on U.S. diplomatic ties, particularly in relation to security cooperation that had become increasingly close over the past 30 years.

Judge Steven Gold accepted the plea, made via a video link at a Brooklyn federal court on Thursday. Cienfuegos, 72, is being held at Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, a troubled and crowded jail that also holds Ghislaine Maxwell. Before the hearing, Edward Sapone, a lawyer for Cienfuegos, in a statement said his client was presumed innocent of the charges in the four-count indictment.

"My legal team and I will ensure that Gen. Cienfuegos' constitutional rights are protected as we zealously defend him," said Sapone, whose website mentions his work defending the Mexican consulate in New York and previous work for an "advisor to a Mexican president." Sapone said the consulate had been a client for 19 years, but that the two retentions were unrelated. He said the consulate was however aware and "pleased" he was representing Cienfuegos. The Mexican foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a sign of the growing tensions, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has criticized the lack of information shared prior to the arrest and warned of a review of cooperation agreements. He has also questioned the role of the DEA and other U.S. agencies in Mexico, saying they worked closely for years with officials later accused of collaborating with criminals.

The president said he will shortly announce a review of the terms of cooperation with U.S. agencies in Mexico, as well as how such arrest warrants are issued. "Regardless of whether Cienfuegos is guilty or not, all of this is now being questioned by the armed forces in Mexico; they're very angry," said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador in Washington.