Mexican drug expert accuses AMLO of 'going to Badiraguato for cash'

Luis Astorga, one of the most recognized Mexican academics for his research on drug trafficking in Mexico, said there are "indications" that former President López Obrador and the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, have agreements with the cartels.

Astorga is the author of historical books on drug trafficking, starting from the Porfiriato to the Peña Nieto administration. One of his latest publications was: Without a single shot? Insecurity and organized crime in the government of Enrique Peña (2023) where he analyzes the security policy of the PRI president.

In an interview for the Tragaluz program broadcast by Latinus, where journalist Fernando del Collado asks continuous questions to obtain quick answers.

The first one was: Worried? followed by "Of course."

During the meeting, Astorga said that there is not enough time to stop the violence in Sinaloa.

He recalled that López Obrador had said that the president knows everything, so he must also have been aware of Rubén Rocha's "betrayal" of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

He accused López Obrador of going to Badiraguato for cash, "which is what he lived off of for a long time and continues to live off of."

Regarding bringing Sheinbaum, he said "the movie continues" and suggested that it could have been his way of sharing information and making her an accomplice.

He said that protecting the governor of Sinaloa "is complicity," after the context where thousands of citizens took to the streets demanding his departure and instead of leaving, Rocha Moya received support from legislators and high-ranking officials of Morena.

The academic said that those in the ruling party feel they have impunity "because of the number of positions they occupy in the political structure."

Astorga said there are fentanyl laboratories in Sinaloa and the federal government is manipulating, favoring those in the political power structure.

Astorga criticized that the "biggest mistake" of the López Obrador government was to pretend that a slogan (hugs, not bullets) was a security policy, which gave rise to the expansion and proliferation of criminal groups and greater empowerment.