Overview

• Sheinbaum filed a civil defamation complaint in Mexico’s courts against Jeffrey Lichtman after he accused her administration of protecting cartel interests.
• Lichtman made his allegations during a post-plea remarks session in Chicago after Ovidio Guzmán López pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors.
• Ovidio Guzmán López’s cooperation deal in Chicago raises the prospect of exposing high-level Mexican officials with ties to the Sinaloa cartel.
• The lawsuit was lodged by the Legal Counsel of the Federal Executive as a civil action and lacks enforceability unless Lichtman appears in Mexico.
• The public dispute has deepened strains on U.S.–Mexico security cooperation over cartel prosecutions, extraditions and border enforcement.