Former Mexican defense minister ordered held in U.S. jail without bond

Mexico's former defense minister, Salvador Cienfuegos, was ordered on Tuesday held in U.S. custody without bail pending his trial on drug trafficking charges. Cienfuegos was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport last week. Cienfuegos was indicted in federal court in New York on four counts of drug trafficking and money laundering.

Mexico's former defense minister, Salvador Cienfuegos, was ordered on Tuesday held in U.S. custody without bail pending his trial on drug trafficking charges. A U.S. magistrate judge also ordered Cienfuegos, 72, sent to New York for further proceedings. Cienfuegos was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport last week.

Cienfuegos was indicted in federal court in New York on four counts of drug trafficking and money laundering. Federal prosecutors say he took bribes in return for protection for alleged drug cartel members, which included warning them about U.S. investigations. Cienfuegos has not yet entered a plea to the charges.

The arrest of Cienfuegos - nicknamed El Padrino, or "The Godfather," in an August 2019 indictment unsealed last week - marked the first time a former Mexican defense minister has been indicted and detained.