El Chapo Paid Mexican Ex-President Pena Nieto $100M, Says Witness

The revelation appears to be the most alarming following a long series of witnesses who provided insight into the vast alleged corruption within the Mexican government. The claims from the trial will be the first time that U.S. news outlets are forced to cover Pena Nieto’s ties to drug cartels, something that first came to light in 2016 after a team of Mexican journalists revealed the now former president’s 2012 campaign received money from associates of the Juarez Cartel.

The most recent accusation was made by Columbian drug trafficker Alex Cifuentes, who testified that El Chapo told him Enrique Pena Nieto demanded $250 million USD in exchange for the drug lord to be left alone. However, the politician settled for $100 million. The testimony was reported by Alan Feuer of the New York Times who tweeted some of the testimony.

The testimony and interviews that Cifuentes had with U.S. investigators also indicate to former Mexican President Felipe Calderon allegedly took bribes from the Beltran Leyva Cartel in order to protect them from El Chapo.

As Breitbart News reported, former Mexican President Vicente Fox was also tarnished by the revelation that his chief bodyguard was an employee of the Sinaloa Cartel. That claim was made by top cartel lieutenant Vicente Zambada Niebla, who is the son of El Chapo’s partner, Vicente “El Mayo” Zambada.

The testimony also noted that the drug lord paid off the military for protection from other cartels and perform offensive maneuvers on his behalf.