Over the weekend, the United States raised international alarms by entering Venezuela through military action to arrest President Nicolás Maduro on suspicion of drug trafficking, sparking widespread discontent.
Among the voices of dissent, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador drew attention. He once again interrupted his self-imposed exile to defend Nicolás Maduro, accusing the US of carrying out a kidnapping and violating the sovereignty of a nation.
This was no coincidence: AMLO had already demonstrated his affinity and alliance with the president and his regime. However, according to journalist Raymundo Riva Palacio, his stance was motivated by reasons beyond ideological alliances.
In his column, “Maduro, a Bombshell for López Obrador,” the journalist points out that Maduro’s capture wasn’t an arrest in the traditional sense, but rather a surrender already agreed upon two years prior with Jorge Rodríguez, a prominent Chavista figure and brother of Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president. They were seeking an agreement to “protect their businesses.”
Although Maduro resisted, statements made by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Los Chapitos, implicating him with the Sinaloa Cartel, put him in a precarious position. And now that he is detained, the US is reportedly seeking his extradition of “his Mexican, Cuban, and Nicaraguan political accomplices.”
Therefore, according to the journalist, AMLO’s defense of the Maduro regime wasn’t based on ideology, but rather on the deep ties between the two regimes, “linked to criminal enterprises.”
Since the end of his presidency, AMLO has been accused of having ties to organized crime, especially the Sinaloa Cartel. Should Maduro testify, this could have repercussions for the former president from the Morena party.
“How much this could affect López Obrador will depend on Maduro and the prosecutors in the Brooklyn federal court,” the columnist questions.
In the same article, Riva Palacio asserted that AMLO’s message caused unease in the National Palace and also “created a new element of friction within Morena.”
For her part, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum has condemned the actions of the United States, but has stated that she will maintain political relations with her main partner, even though Trump has said that “something should be done about Mexico.”
Source: politico
