MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denounced this Wednesday that “senior officials of the United States” had a relationship with Genaro García Luna, former Secretary of Security of Mexico (2006-2012) who is facing a trial in New York for alleged links to drug trafficking.
“Evidently García Luna was very influential in the media, but not only in Mexico, but he had relationships, which may be work relationships, with senior officials of the US government,” the president said at his morning press conference.
His statements come one day after the start of the drug trafficking trial in New York against García Luna, former Secretary of Security during the presidency of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012), after more than three years in prison for allegedly cooperating with the Sinaloa Cartel.
By displaying a New York Times article on the former official, accused of accepting bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for facilitating their operations, López Obrador asked “that if United States authorities were involved, they should be called to testify and participate.”
“So that’s why the trial is very important, to what extent the agents or authorities of the United States, the agencies, were involved. How is this double life? On the one hand he is rewarded, he is recognized and, on the other hand, he has a relationship of protection to organized crime,” he said.
García Luna appeared on Tuesday in the first day of selection of the jury that will settle his responsibility in the accusation of drug trafficking for approximately two months.
New York judge Peggy Kuo denied this Friday the release on bail of Genaro García Luna, former Mexican Security Minister during the government of Felipe Calderón, accused of drug trafficking and lying to obtain a US passport.
In this regard, López Obrador reiterated his request to disseminate all the information on the trial due to the relevance of the former official, who was the top security chief during the start of the so-called “war against drugs.”
“You have to see what relationships there were, if it is shown that he received money, bribes, if he kept the money or if there was a distribution of the loot, and who benefited, what other authorities,” he said.
In addition, he asked the United States to return money to Mexico if it is shown that officials from that country received bribes related to the trial.
“Of course, we are already raising it in general, in all cases. What is money from Mexico has to return to Mexico, even if they are trials that are carried out in the United States, they have to return the money to us, ”he indicated.
