El Universal alleges US government officials allowed the Sinaloa cartel to freely operate inside the US in exchange for information about Mexico's other cartels. The extent of freedom allowed to the Sinaloas is unclear. The report says that drug trafficers would be allowed to freely operate, but also describes the alliance as a "secret war" and alleges that it caused an increase in violence in Mexico. The Fast and Furious scandal comes immediately to mind. Some of this was done behind the backs of Mexican officials, who might have been understandably upset when their country exploded into violence. The secret agreement seems to have started in 2005 and been uncovered when Mexican armed forces captured Sinaloa figure Zambada Niebla five hours after he met with DEA agents.
The report gives us the name of David Gaddis, then DEA regional director for the North and South Americas, who is alleged to have authorized the deals with the Sinaloas. He would be promoted to chief of enforcement and deputy chief of global operations in 2009 and then left the DEA in 2011 to run the consulting company G-Global Protection Solutions which cites his "25 years of experience in security services".
The report cites the work of an unidentified US attorney, dated September 9, 2011.
From a second source in 2011:
According to Zambada Niebla, he and the rest of the Sinaloa leadership, through the informant Loya Castro, negotiated a quid-pro-quo immunity deal with the US government in which they were guaranteed protection from prosecution in exchange for providing US law enforcers and intelligence agencies with information that could be used to compromise rival Mexican cartels and their operations.
Patrick Fitzgerald's office testified on December 2, 2011 that there was "not one witness or document" to support the claim.
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