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The trial of the Mexican Genaro García Luna, architect of the war against organized crime in Mexico, began this Tuesday in New York, where he is accused of five charges, including drug trafficking, which could lead him to spend the rest of his days in the jail.
With Silvina Sterin Pensel, RFI correspondent in New York
The trial against Genaro García Luna, former Secretary of Public Security of Mexico in the years of President Felipe Calderón, has just begun in the Brooklyn Court.
García Luna, who was at the time the leader of the war against narcos and drugs, is accused of accepting million-dollar bribes and receiving suitcases full of cash, of cooperating with the Sinaloa Cartel, which was run by Chapo Guzmán and of collaborate so that the drug bosses could operate freely. In addition, he is accused of facilitating the entry of tons of drugs into the United States.
Specifically, he faces five charges, including participating in an ongoing criminal enterprise, conspiring to traffic cocaine and lying to the authorities when he applied for US citizenship in 2018.
Dressed in a suit, much grayer than when he was arrested in 2019, García Luna listened to the procedure to determine who will be the members of the jury in the trial against him.
Of the 191 shortlisted, only twelve members and 6 alternates will be chosen for this trial that has aroused little interest in the US media. The selection is expected to continue this Wednesday and possibly part of Thursday.
Similar to the trial against “El Chapo” Guzmán
Many analysts agree that this trial is a kind of sequel to the trial against El Chapo and there are several similarities. The same judge, Brian Cogan, is the one who will preside over the Trial and it is expected that there will be crucial testimonies that could splash other politicians in both Mexico and the United States.
Arrested on December 4, 2019 in Dallas, Texas, the name of García Luna emerged during the trial of Chapo Guzmán (sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States).
The then member of the Sinaloa cartel Jesús “Rey” Zambada recounted in the trial that he had delivered suitcases with between six and eight million dollars in bribes to the then official in a restaurant between 2005 and 2007.
García Luna was the strong man of the government of Felipe Calderón and is the highest-ranking official to be tried in US courts.
Outside the court, Mexican Ada Omaña holds a sign reading “Mexico Demands Justice.” Omaña has lived in the United States for 30 years and believes that it is a wise decision for this legal process to take place here and not in her country.
“Yes, I like it more here, here the laws are a little more straight, a little. In Mexico, our judges are sold, they are sold with Calderón, they are sold with everyone, so when they are judged, ”he tells RFI.
“There they are going to go free because Calderón has his hand in all of that, like Gortari they are all dolls, they are sold they are bought, all the judges are bought in my country,” he adds.
The trial has Mexicans on edge on both sides of the border and is expected to last two months.
