Genaro Garcia Luna, a former Mexican security minister, has been convicted of drug trafficking by a US jury. Garcia Luna was once the face of Mexico’s war on drugs. He was found guilty of stealing millions of dollars from Mexico’s largest crime group, the Sinaloa drug cartel.
In 2019, 54-year-old Garcia Luna was arrested in the state of Texas. He could face up to 10 years in prison for the charges. He himself claims to be innocent.
The US court’s ruling came after a four-week trial in US District Court in Brooklyn, New York. According to prosecutors, Garcia Luna accepted millions of dollars in briefcases delivered by cartel members.
Garcia Luna is the highest-ranking Mexican official ever tried in the US for drug trafficking.