Mexican President Sheinbaum Rejects Party Ties With Arrested Mexican Boxer, Challenges Accusers To File a Suit

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected accusations of ties between the ruling Morena party and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the boxer arrested in the U.S. last week and accused of being linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.

Speaking at her daily press conference, Sheinbaum noted that the accusations are not new and only resurfaced due to the arrest of Chavez Jr. in California last week. "When there is an accusation, it must be proven. And if it's a criminal one, there must be a file and a judge needs to go through the evidence to determine whether to issue an arrest warrant," Sheinbaum said.

"I believe it is important to say it: we don't collude with anyone. We defend a project that has honesty and justice at its core," she added. "So, if there's an arrest warrant, as it's the case here, the prosecutor's office has to explain what the evidence is."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday the arrest and expected deportation of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. due to his irregular migratory status.

The agency detailed in a statement that Chavez, a former boxing world champion, also has an "active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives." It added that the boxer was arrested in Studio City, California, on July 2.

The document adds that Chavez filed an application for Lawful Permanent Resident status in April last year based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen who, nonetheless, DHS said is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel "through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman."

In this context, Mexican investigative journalist Anabel Hernández detailed that Chávez Jr. married Frida Muñoz, who was previously married to Édgar Guzmán López, one of El Chapo's sons who was killed in 2008. According to Hernández, Édgar was considered to be the drug lord's favorite son, and Muñoz was allowed to remain part of the family's inner circle after his death.

"Anyone who married her would have to pass through many filters set by this criminal clan and the one who passed those filters and became the beneficiary of the fortune left to Frida by Guzmán López was Julio César Chávez Jr.," Hernández said.

The journalist also suggested the possibility that Chávez Jr.'s residence in the United States could be connected to agreements made between U.S. authorities and Ovidio Guzmán, another son of "El Chapo," as part of his ongoing legal proceedings.

Mexican top prosecutor Alejandro Gertz Manero noted that he tried to get help from its U.S. counterpart regarding investigations tying the boxer with several crimes. "They didn't listen to us until they detained him," he said.