Mexico City – Mexico said Sunday “there was absolutely no evidence” linking ex-Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha to a ruthless group of army deserters turned drug hit men known as “The Zetas.”
In a statement, the Federal Attorney General’s Office said the country’s former top law enforcement official was not under investigation in Mexico or the U.S. for protecting drug suspects.
“The public knows General Rafael Macedo de la Concha, when he was head of this institution, put all of his energy and efforts into a front-line attack against organized crime,” it said.
The statement came in response to a story published Sunday on the front page of Mexico City’s respected Reforma newspaper, which stated that a July 15 report compiled by the FBI said Macedo de la Concha had given his “blessing” to Zeta assassins, allowing them to operate freely in Piedras Negras, across from Eagle Pass, Texas.
Investigators in the U.S. and Mexico believe the Zetas are loyal to the Gulf Cartel, a feared and powerful smuggling syndicate responsible for moving cocaine and marijuana into Texas that has continued to operate since the 2003 capture of its reputed leader, Osiel Cardenas.
The statement confirmed that the report came from the FBI but said it “is a collection of facts, allegations and information that came from street informants and, because of that, includes opinions, statements and declarations that have not been proven.”
Macedo de la Concha resigned under pressure in April as President Vicente Fox backed off an investigation against Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The case created an uproar as it threatened to prevent the popular leftist mayor from running for president next year.
