‘El Chapo’ Witness: Ex-Mexican President Peña Nieto Took $100M Bribe

A witness at Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s trial claimed the notorious drug kingpin paid former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto a $100 million bribe, The New York Times reports. Alex Cifuentes Villa, a Colombian drug lord and longtime associate of Guzman’s, reportedly said in Brooklyn federal court that the bribe was delivered to Peña Nieto “through an intermediary.” According to Reuters, Villa also said he informed authorities that Guzman arranged the bribe in 2016. Guzman is accused of bringing almost half a million pounds of cocaine into the U.S. as the leader of the Sinaloa cartel. Peña Nieto served as Mexico’s president from 2012 to 2018, and served in a number of high-ranking government positions before his presidential tenure.