NEW YORK — The former chief of public security in Mexico is awaiting sentencing in a U.S. court on Wednesday after being found guilty of accepting bribes to facilitate drug trafficking operations.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are asking for a life sentence for Genaro García Luna, while his defense team is advocating for a maximum of 20 years in prison. The 56-year-old García Luna was convicted last year of taking millions in bribes to shield the notorious Sinaloa cartel, which he was supposed to be fighting against. He has maintained his innocence throughout the legal proceedings.
In court filings, prosecutors described García Luna’s actions as having significantly contributed to a drug trafficking conspiracy that led to the loss of countless American and Mexican lives. They emphasized the severity of his crimes, stating, “The extent of the defendant’s deceit, the addiction and deaths he facilitated, and his betrayal of both the United States and Mexico’s citizens is hard to express. His actions call for accountability.”
From 2006 to 2012, García Luna oversaw Mexico’s federal police and later held a cabinet-level position under former President Felipe Calderón. Renowned as the architect of Calderón’s extensive campaign against drug cartels, he was viewed as a key ally by the United States in the fight against drug trafficking. During the trial, images surfaced showing him interacting with several notable U.S. political figures, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former Senator John McCain.
However, prosecutors argued that for millions of dollars, García Luna supplied crucial intelligence regarding police investigations targeting the cartel, details about rival cartels, and facilitated the smooth transit of large drug shipments. Allegations suggest he warned traffickers about impending law enforcement actions and undermined legitimate police operations meant to capture cartel leaders.
Under his watch, traffickers managed to transport more than one million kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the U.S. using various methods like planes, trains, trucks, and even submarines. Testimony during the trial of former Sinaloa leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán revealed that a former cartel member claimed to have personally delivered at least $6 million in payouts to García Luna, and that cartel leaders were prepared to contribute as much as $50 million for his protection.
Prosecutors have also accused García Luna of attempting to influence last year’s trial outcome by trying to bribe inmates at a Brooklyn detention center to bolster false claims regarding the use of contraband cell phones by government witnesses before the trial.
In seeking a lighter sentence, García Luna’s lawyers noted that both he and his family have been subject to public backlash during his nearly five-year imprisonment. They stated, “He has seen his reputation and assets diminish, the institutions he upheld decline, and even the autonomy of the Mexican legal system erode, with him being unable to influence any of these developments.”
“In the last five years alone, he has lost two siblings, has been informed of one sibling’s disability due to COVID-19 complications, and has faced an arrest warrant related to another, while also learning that his youngest sister has been imprisoned due to their familial ties,” they further elaborated.
In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum briefly addressed the situation on Tuesday, asking rhetorically, “How is it possible that someone who was honored by U.S. agencies and praised by former President Calderón as a remarkable security official is now incarcerated in the U.S. after connections to drug trafficking have surfaced?”