Cocaine stashed in a Nissan 350z AP U.S. federal law enforcement officers allegedly granted the Sinaola cartel permission to smuggle several tons of cocaine into the U.S. in exchange for information on rival cartels.

According to the El Paso Times, the accusation is part of Vicente Zambada-Niebla's defense against drug trafficking charges in Chicago.

The federal court in Illinois held a status hearing Wednesday, ordering the government to respond to Zambada-Niebla's accusations by September 11.

This prosecution comes on the heels of the ATF's "Operation Fast and Furious" case where agents allowed U.S. weapons to be smuggled into Mexico.

Zambada-Niebla contends agents allowed him to smuggle the coke in via jets, buses, railcars, tractor trailers, and automobiles over a five-year period.

These charges bolster long-standing beliefs held by some that Mexican and U.S. governments work with Sinaola as part of a plan to weaken rival organizations.

Check out Sinaola's area of influence and smuggling routes on this amazing map >