Mexican former security chief sentenced to more than 38 years in prison

​​​​​​​By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA)- A US Federal Court sentenced Mexico's former Secretary of Public Security Genaro Garcia Luna on Wednesday to more than 38 years in prison on drug trafficking charges.

The former official responsible for Mexico's public security strategy and police from 2006 to 2012, was sentenced to 466 months and ordered to pay a $2 million fine for ties with the Sinaloa Cartel, which Garcia Luna empowered and protected through a 10-year association.

Garcia Luna was arrested in December 2019 in the US city of Dallas, Texas, where he was accused of conspiring with the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, then led by Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia to smuggle narcotics into the US.

Following a four-week trial in February 2023, Garcia Luna was found guilty of collaborating with the cartel, providing services and protection as a top governmental official in exchange for millions of US dollars in bribes.

The sentence was handed down by Senior District Judge Brian Cogan, who sentenced ‘El Chapo’ to life in prison.

"Garcia Luna's conduct included facilitating safe passage of the Cartel's drug shipments, providing sensitive law enforcement information about investigations into the Cartel, and helping the Cartel attack rival drug cartels, thereby facilitating the importation of multi‑ton quantities of cocaine and other drugs into the United States," wrote the US Attorney's Office in a statement.

Garcia Luna cemented a fruitful career within Mexico's security agencies, leading the defunct Federal Police and heading the country's security for six years during the administration of then-President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa.

As head of Public Security during Calderon's administration, the former ---president and Garcia Luna launched a supposed peacekeeping strategy known as the "war on drugs" to combat the same drug lords the security chief was empowering.