PAN congresswoman sought to hinder combat against drugs

Lucero Guadalupe Sánchez López, a legislator from Sinaloa under investigation for her links with Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, proposed expeling the Armed Forces from the state in the last quarter of 2015, when the federal government was carrying out operations to hunt the leader of the Sinaloa cartel. She ordered their expulsion on the grounds that they violated the human rights of the residents of the communities located in the so-called Golden Triangle.

On October 13 the lawmaker of the National Action Party (PAN) spoke at the Congress against the deployment of the ministries of Navy, National Defense and the Federal Police (PF) in Sinaloa.

Sánchez described the operations as "outrageous" and called on lawmakers to support her. At a regular session the representative of Cosalá said that the operations carried out between October 6 and 8 in the mountains of Sinaloa and Durango left negative results, like dozens of displaced, eight missing people and shattered houses, but her request was not taken up.

Mexico's Attorney General's Office is investigating the activities and finances of Sánchez López after it was known that she visited the drug kingpin when he was at El Altiplano prison. Also, El Chapo is believed to have spent New Year's Eve with her when he was on the run.

(With information from Dennis García)