Morena declines explanations over U.S. allegations

Reporting and context

Morena will not ask for explanations from Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila or her former husband, Carlos Torres, over U.S. allegations of possible links to organized crime, the party’s national leader said. According to El Diario de Chihuahua, Ariadna Montiel described the matter as political and said Morena would rely on investigations by the authorities responsible for conducting them.

Montiel was responding after The New York Times reported that two U.S. security agencies were examining allegations involving López Beltrán, organized crime and fuel smuggling. She said foreign media reports alone should not determine the party’s action and that any accusations made by another country should be supported through institutional investigations and cooperation. Montiel also said Morena “does not absolve or blame anyone” and would not protect anyone involved in criminal activity.

El Diario de Chihuahua reported that the questions about Ávila and Torres followed U.S. Treasury sanctions against 21 individuals and 25 entities linked, according to the agency, to the Los Mayos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. The Treasury identified Torres as an alleged political operator allied with Juan José Ponce Félix, known as “El Ruso,” and said the United States revoked the visas of Torres and Ávila in 2025. Those claims remain attributed to U.S. authorities and the cited reports. The original report is available at https://eldiariodechihuahua.mx/nacional/2026/sep/29/descarta-morena-pedir-explicaciones-por-senalamientos-de-eu-842509.html