By Natalia Rueda 
A shocking New York Times report has sparked a wave of controversy in Mexico, stating that people close to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador received millions of dollars from Los Zetas and Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel for the release of a cartel member ahead of the 2018 presidential election.
According to a new report by The New York Times titled “United States Examined Allegations of Mexican President’s Ties to Cartels,” US officials investigated possible links between powerful cartel operatives and Mexican advisors and officials close to Lopez Obrador, but ultimately found no evidence directly implicating the president himself.
President López Obrador has strongly denied the article’s accusations, calling them a politically motivated slander and demanding Joe Biden’s Administration to clarify the matter. “By what right do they investigate a legitimately constituted government?”, “Are they the government of the world?”. At a press conference, he even revealed the phone number of the journalist behind the story.
The accusations have generated alarm and concern among Mexican citizens and international observers alike. Following the rise and violence of Los Zetas during the early 2000s, the organization has fragmented into various factions and remains a force to be reckoned with in certain regions of the country, especially in the port of Tamaulipas and Veracruz.
In short, while US prosecutors investigated allegations of possible ties between Lopez Obrador associates and drug cartels, no evidence linking the Mexican president to these allegations was found. The report serves as a reminder of the complicated and often tense relationship between the United States and Mexico regarding drug trafficking and criminal activity.