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The Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York found Genaro García Luna guilty of drug trafficking. The former Mexican Secretary of Security could be sentenced to life imprisonment. During the trial, he was directly targeted by nine convicted traffickers, who testified that García Luna had cooperated with them in the past.
He is the highest-ranking former Mexican government official to be accused and convicted of drug trafficking in the United States.
After a month of deliberations, the 12-member jury’s decision was unanimous: guilty of four counts of drug trafficking and a fifth of lying to US officials to obtain US citizenship.
Specifically, the charges against the former Mexican official are the following: participating in the management of a criminal enterprise whose activity continues to this day, conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, conspiracy to distribute and possess 5 kilograms or more of cocaine with the intent to distribute it in the United States and conspiracy to import the same amount or more.
The trial uncovered the way in which García Luna collaborated with the Sinaloa cartel, managed for years by Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, sentenced in 2019 to life imprisonment. García Luna’s role was to allow traffickers to carry out their activities, guaranteeing that they were not arrested.
“He used his official position in the government to win millions of dollars from the people he was supposed to prosecute,” said prosecutor Saritha Komatireddy. “These leaders paid bribes to the defendants to get protection, and they got what they paid for,” Komatireddy added, referring to Guzmán and other Sinaloa cartel figures.
Former high command of the Sinaloa cartel testify against García Luna
Among the 26 people who testified, the jury heard from nine traffickers convicted in the United States who cooperated with the investigation in exchange for possible leniency in their sentences.
Among them, some high-level cartel officials, including Jesús ‘Rey’ Zambada, Sergio Villarreal and Oscar ‘Lobo’ Valencia. All of them claimed to have paid millions of dollars to García Luna both jointly and through other drug cartels.
According to the prosecutors, García Luna warned the members of the cartel about the operations that were carried out by the Government to fight drug trafficking. He also targeted his arrest operations against members of the rival drug cartel and brought to power corrupt officials who also worked under the interests of drug traffickers. In exchange, García Luna received millionaire rewards.
The defense for its part rejected the ruling. “We are extremely disappointed with today’s verdict. After many years of trying to build a case against Mr. García Luna with credible and reliable evidence, the Government was forced to settle for a case built on the backs of some of the criminals. more notorious and ruthless”.
During the Government of Vicente Fox (2000-2006), Genaro García Luna directed the Federal Investigation Agency (AFI), in charge of fighting organized crime in the country. Later, during the mandate of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012), he was Secretary of Public Security, in command of the Federal Police and anti-drug operations.
He had lived in Florida since 2012 and was arrested in December 2019 in Dallas, USA. He remained in detention until the start of the trial, on January 17 of this year. When his arrest took place, Calderón assured that he was not aware of what had supposedly happened during his tenure.
Meanwhile, the current Mexican government reacted in favor of the verdict. “Justice has arrived for the former squire of Felipe Calderon. The crimes against our people will never be forgotten,” Jesús Ramírez, current spokesman for Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said in a tweet.
Next June 27 at 11 in the morning the sentence against Genaro García Luna, who could face life imprisonment, will be known. The mandatory minimum sentence is 20 years in prison.
With Reuters, EFE and AFP
