It is being reported that the federal government may have allowed tons of cocaine into the United States in exchange for information on rivals of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Wednesday, federal courts in Illinois held a status hearing in which they ordered the government to respond to accusations made by Jesus Vicente Zambada-Niebla, who is facing drug trafficking charges in Chicago. He claims agents allowed him – the Sinaloa Cartel – to bring drugs into the U.S. for five years while he was giving them information on rival drug cartels.

Zambada-Niebla is the son of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia, one of the Sinaloa drug-trafficking organization’s top leaders.

He himself has served as the Sinaloa cartel’s “logistical coordinator,” assisting in the importing of cocaine into the U.S.

These recent accusation only serve to confirm what many in both countries have long believed: Officials in both the U.S. and Mexican governments are working with the Sinaloa cartel in hopes of gaining information on their competitors.