Mexico president backs decision not to charge ex-defense minister Cienfuegos

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday his government supported a decision by his attorney general not to charge ex-Defense Minister General Salvador Cienfuegos, despite U.S. accusations he collaborated with drug traffickers.

Cienfuegos, a member of former President Enrique Peña Nieto's government, was arrested in October at Los Angeles international airport and accused by U.S. prosecutors of collaborating with a powerful Mexican drug cartel.