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Carlos Zelaya’s message resurfaces amid new revelations about his alleged relationship with drug trafficking.
Carlos Zelaya , former secretary of the National Congress and brother-in-law of President Xiomara Castro , was once again the center of attention after a video went viral in which he appears alongside a drug trafficker from the “Los Cachiros” cartel .
In the video, revealed by InSight Crime, he is seen negotiating with criminals during the 2013 election campaign. However, what has caught attention is a message that Zelaya published on X (formerly Twitter) in February of this year, in which he denied the accusations against him.
“I categorically deny the false accusations”
On February 10, after being mentioned in the trial against former President Juan Orlando Hernández, Zelaya published: “I categorically deny the false accusations against me, used as a distraction in the trial against JOH, who is accused by the United States and accused of being a drug trafficker, who organized a cartel taking advantage of his public positions and the institutions of the State.”
This message, in which Zelaya tried to distance himself from the accusations, has resurfaced on social media after the dissemination of the controversial video in which he appears alongside drug trafficker Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga , alias ” El Cachiro.”
The accusations of ‘El Cachiro’ and Fabio Lobo
Devis had already indicated in 2017 that he had discussed with Zelaya the use of a landing strip in Olancho for drug trafficking.
According to his testimony before the Southern District Court of New York , the then head of Los Cachiros bribed Zelaya with amounts ranging between 100 thousand and 200 thousand dollars.
For his part, Fabio Lobo, son of former President Porfirio Lobo, stated in an interview with the Salvadoran media outlet El Faro that Carlos Zelaya coordinated drug landings on an airstrip in 2010. Lobo said that drug traffickers such as Fredy Nájera and Wilkin Montalván informed him about Zelaya’s participation in these activities.
Appearance before the ATIC
On Saturday, August 31, Zelaya appeared before the Technical Criminal Investigation Agency (ATIC) after being summoned by Attorney General Johel Zelaya.
During his appearance, the former deputy gave his testimony as part of the investigations related to the drug trafficking cases that came to light during the trial against Juan Orlando Hernández.
The Honduran Prosecutor’s Office continues to investigate the statements and evidence provided in the trial, seeking to determine the responsibilities of those who were mentioned in the testimonies of drug traffickers.
Among those who have already appeared before the Public Prosecutor’s Office are figures such as former deputy Reynaldo Ekónomo, Óscar Ramón Nájera and Juan Ramón Matta Waldurraga.
