Former Mexican minister, who once led nation's fight against drug cartels, convicted of drug trafficking
Genaro Gracia Luna
A US jury has convicted Mexico's former security minister Genaro Garcia Luna of drug trafficking. The verdict comes after a four-week trial and three days of jury deliberation. Prosecutors claimed that theformer Mexican head had accepted millions of dollars stuffed in briefcases by Mexico's biggest crime group, the Sinaloa drug cartel.
The US Department of Justice said that Luna could face life in prison or will serve the mandatory minimum jail term of 20 years, BBC reported.
The former minister was said to have widely shared information with the Sinaloa drug cartel about rivals and warned the group about law enforcementoperations.
The 54-year-old minister was detained in Texas in 2019, where he pleaded not guilty andrepeatedlydenied all allegations. He also denied to testify at the trial, but his wife Linda Cristina Pereyra took the stand and tried to downplay their finances and lifestyle.
Hiscase of drug trafficking came to light during a trial against Guzman who was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 yearsin 2019.
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Jesus Ramirez Cuevas, a spokesperson for the current Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador praised this decision and took aim at the former Mexican President Felipe Calderon. His tweet read, "the crimes against our people will never be forgotten."
Mexico-based expert, Ioan Grillo told BBC that this conviction can have big implications for both the US and Mexican government's fight against corruption and crime.
He added that this can encourage prosecutors to go after other cases. "They took a certain risk by not having physical evidence and convicting him on testimony from drug traffickers."
(With inputs from agencies)
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