In a New York courtroom on 10/16/2024‚ Genaro García Luna (a former high-ranking Mexican security official) received a sentence of more than 38 years in US federal prison. The 57-year-old was found guilty of accepting millions in bribes from the Sinaloa cartel‚ allowing drug traffickers to operate without interference during his tenure.
García Lunas conviction‚ which occurred about 1.5 years ago‚ included charges of participating in a continuing criminal enterprise conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and other related offenses. The trial lasted five weeks in US District Court in Brooklyn. In addition to the prison term the court imposed a $2 million fine.
Prosecutors argued for a life sentence‚ citing García Lunas responsibility for numerous deaths he had sworn to prevent. They stated‚ “In exchange for millions of dollars the defendant furthered a conspiracy responsible for the deaths of thousands of American and Mexican citizens“. The defense however‚ pleaded for leniency.
The case has captivated Mexico‚ a country that has experienced roughly 500‚000 homicides since the start of its “war on drugs“ in 2006. García Luna served as minister of public security from 2006 to 2012 under President Felipe Calderón‚ and was instrumental in creating a new federal police force.
García Luna was a key US partner in the Merida Initiative‚ a multi-billion dollar plan aimed at dismantling cartels. Prior to his cabinet role‚ he ran Mexicos version of the FBI from 2001 to 2005. Prosecutors allege he began accepting cartel bribes during this period.
Despite his claims of innocence and emphasis on his high regard in Washington‚ evidence at the trial primarily consisted of testimony from convicted drug traffickers. García Luna maintained his innocence in a handwritten letter to the court‚ arguing he was wrongly targeted.
President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected García Lunas allegations of false information leading to his conviction‚ stating‚ “Prosecutors in the United States and a jury in the United States‚ have provided evidence of his ties to drug-trafficking‚ and the benefits he received for being involved with drug trafficking‚ at the very moment in which a war on drugs had been declared“