A photograph with a prominent drug cartel figure may be behind the Trump administration's refusal to grant a top Mexican politician a visa to enter the United States.
The picture showed Baja California governor Marina del Pilar Ávila hugging Emmanuel 'El Botas' Serrano while she was campaigning for mayor of the border town of Mexicali in 2019.
Serrano allegedly reports directly to Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who leads half of the infamously brutal Sinaloa Cartel.
The photo first emerged in September 2022, with the governor's office disputing allegations that she had any ties to the so-called El Botas.
'It's a common knowledge that during political campaigns, hundreds of people approach to take a photo and even mingle with a candidate, as was the case during the four electoral campaigns in which the governor has contested,' del Pilar Ávila's office said in a statement.
