By Genaro García Luna, Mexico’s former top security official, is set to be sentenced in a Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday following his conviction for accepting millions in bribes from the Sinaloa drug cartel. García Luna, who served as Mexico’s public security chief from 2006 to 2012, was found guilty early last year of aiding the very drug traffickers he was tasked with combating.
Federal prosecutors are pushing for a life sentence, citing the enormous scale of García Luna’s crimes and their devastating impact on both Mexican and American citizens. In their court filing, prosecutors emphasized the difficulty in overstating “the magnitude of the defendant’s crimes, the deaths and addiction he facilitated and his betrayal of the people of Mexico and the United States.”
The 56-year-old García Luna, who has maintained his innocence, headed Mexico’s federal police before assuming his cabinet-level position during the administration of former President Felipe Calderón. Once hailed as a key U.S. ally in the war on drugs, García Luna was photographed with high-profile American figures including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former Senator John McCain.
Prosecutors allege that in exchange for substantial payoffs, García Luna provided crucial intelligence to the Sinaloa cartel about investigations and rival organizations. He allegedly ensured drug traffickers received advance warning of raids and sabotaged legitimate police operations targeting cartel leaders.
The prosecution claims that under García Luna’s protection, drug traffickers successfully moved over 1 million kilograms of cocaine into the United States using various transportation methods. During the 2018 trial of former Sinaloa kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, a cartel member testified to personally delivering at least $6 million in bribes to García Luna.
García Luna’s defense team is arguing for a maximum sentence of 20 years. In their appeal for leniency, his lawyers detailed the personal and public hardships endured by García Luna and his family during his nearly five-year imprisonment. They emphasized the loss of his reputation, assets, and the institutions he championed.
The case has drawn attention in Mexico, with President Claudia Sheinbaum commenting on the stark contrast between García Luna’s former accolades from U.S. agencies and ex-President Calderón, and his current status as a prisoner facing serious charges related to drug trafficking.
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