Allegations of AMLO-Sinaloa Cartel pact

Journalist Anabel Hernández has released allegations regarding a purported pact between former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the Sinaloa Cartel. These claims, detailed in her book ‘Narcocracia’, are based on testimony from former criminal operative Sergio Villarreal Barragán, alias ‘El Grande’.

Villarreal alleges that during the 2006 presidential campaign, he personally delivered cash from the Sinaloa Cartel to López Obrador. The testimony suggests the agreement included political commitments such as preventing DEA interference in Mexico and allowing the cartel to operate provided violence levels were reduced. Villarreal also claims to have facilitated radio communication between López Obrador and cartel leader Arturo Beltrán Leyva.

Subsequent reports expand on these allegations, suggesting that these purported agreements influenced federal security decisions and the ‘abrazos, no balazos’ strategy. Hernández links the alleged pacts to the 2019 decision to halt military operations against Ovidio Guzmán López and asserts that criminal financing may have extended to the 2012 and 2018 election cycles, citing additional testimonies from individuals such as Dámaso López Serrano, known as ‘Mini Lic’.