FILE - Mexican shot prima Cuauhtemoc Blanco casts his ballot during mid-term elections successful Cuernavaca, Mexico, June 7, 2015. Blanco, the politician of Mexicos Morelos state, denied connected Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022, immoderate links to cause traffickers aft a 3-year-old photograph surfaced showing him posing with 3 men identified arsenic section cause pack leaders. (AP Photo/Tony Rivera, File) (Tony Rivera, Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

MEXICO CITY – The politician of Mexico’s Morelos authorities has denied immoderate links to cause traffickers aft a 3-year-old photograph surfaced showing him posing with 3 men identified arsenic section cause pack leaders.

Former Mexican nationalist shot squad prima Cuauhtemoc Blanco won the governorship of Morelos, conscionable southbound of Mexico City, successful 2018 aft retiring from soccer. A photograph from October of that aforesaid twelvemonth shows him smiling and locking arms with 3 men, 1 of whom is nether apprehension and different who was killed successful prison.

The 3rd antheral is allegedly inactive live and starring a pack called the “Tlahuica Commando” that whitethorn person been progressive successful the 2019 sidesplitting of a assemblage activist.

The paper El Sol de Mexico says the photograph was recovered connected the telephone of different cause suspect.

Blanco said Tuesday helium had “nothing to hide,” and enactment it down to the dangers of being a erstwhile shot prima who would ne'er contradict a instrumentality a photograph op.

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“I person taken a batch of photos arsenic a shot player,” Blanco said. He recalled a clip erstwhile helium was seen successful a photograph on with a lad of imprisoned cause lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, noting “I didn't adjacent cognize who helium was, but due to the fact that I'm specified a bully guy, I instrumentality photos with everyone.”

Asked by reporters erstwhile and wherever the photograph published this week was taken — it appears to beryllium indoors, successful an bureau oregon eating country — Blanco said “I don't know, I swear, I don't adjacent remember.”

“I instrumentality a batch of photos (with people), and I americium not going to beryllium asking them, ‘hey, who are you and what bash you bash for a living?’” Blanco said. “I americium going to proceed taking photos,” Blanco said defiantly. “Perhaps much volition travel out.”

Blanco antecedently served arsenic politician of the authorities capital, Cuernavaca. During his nonrecreational shot vocation helium was known for his pugnacious, combative style.

Morelos, known for its balmy climate, was erstwhile a quiescent play getaway for Mexico City residents. But successful the past 2 decades it has been deed by kidnappings, extortion and cause pack killings.

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Blanco has been criticized for naming erstwhile shot associates to authorities posts.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.