Mexico's former security chief, Genaro García Luna, is sentenced to 38 years in prison for accepting bribes from drug traffickers

Genaro García Luna, once Mexico's top public security official, was sentenced to 38 years in prison for accepting bribes from drug cartels while leading the fight against drug trafficking in his country. The sentence, handed down Wednesday by a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, puts an end to the career of a man who became one of the most influential officials in Mexico's security strategy.

Judge Brian M. Cogan, in handing down the sentence, described García Luna as someone who led a "double life," using his position to cover up his collaboration with the cartels he was supposed to be fighting. "Aside from your pleasant demeanor and your articulateness, you have the same thuggishness as El Chapo," the judge declared, referring to the infamous drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera.

García Luna, 56, was found guilty of multiple charges related to drug trafficking and corruption. Throughout his defense, he insisted he was innocent and, in a letter sent to the judge before the hearing, argued that the accusations were part of a political campaign against him, motivated by his confrontation with powerful interests in Mexico. However, Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, roundly rejected García Luna's attempts to portray himself as a victim, noting that his attempt to portray himself as a victim was "a lot of cynicism."

A legacy of corruption and complicity

During his tenure between 2001 and 2012, García Luna played a key role in the fight against drug trafficking, earning him the nickname "the J. Edgar Hoover of Mexico." However, at his trial, drug traffickers testified that, instead of fighting the cartels, he facilitated the operations of the Sinaloa Cartel. This prosecution was perceived in Mexico as a moment of reckoning, stoking long-standing suspicions about corruption at the highest levels of government. Judge Cogan stressed that the harsh sentence is intended to send a strong message to other officials: corruption will not be tolerated.

García Luna vows to appeal

The former security chief promised to appeal his conviction, while next Friday another drug trafficker linked to the Sinaloa Cartel is expected to appear before the same court to discuss his procedural status.