Ex-Mexican Minister Arrested for Taking Bribes From Drug Cartel
He faces between 10 years and life in prison.
A former Mexican security minister was arrested in the US on charges of taking bribes from a drug cartel. This was reported by The Guardian.
Genaro García Luna is accused of allowing the Sinaloa cartel of Guzmán, known as “El Chapo,” to operate in Mexico in exchange for millions of dollars. Prosecutors said García Luna provided the cartel with safe passage for drug shipments and access to confidential information.
On two known occasions, cartel members delivered about $5 million to him in suitcases. Earlier, Luna denied any wrongdoing.
Luna's arrest in Texas is considered a major event in Mexican politics. He was not just an important figure in the administration and Mexico's minister of public security. He was the face of the country's federal police.
A US prosecutor said: “García Luna is charged with receiving millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa cartel of Guzmán ‘El Chapo’ when he controlled Mexico's federal police and was responsible for ensuring public security in Mexico.” He was also charged with lying about his criminal past.
Guzmán of Sinaloa was sentenced to life in prison in July. During the trial, a former cartel member testified that he personally delivered suitcases with millions of dollars in bribes to García Luna.
US prosecutors allege that the former minister used his position to protect the Sinaloa cartel's human trafficking operations from 2001 to 2012. If convicted, he faces between 10 years and life in prison.
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