U.S. Courts Force Ex-Mexican Cabinet Member to Compensate Billions to Mexico After Incarceration - In the U.S., a previous Mexican minister, convicted for doling out billions to Mexico, secures another guilty verdict.
Former Mexican Security Chief Orders to Pay Billions in US Court for Corruption and Money Laundering
In a recent turn of events, a former high-ranking Mexican security official, Genaro García Luna, has been ordered to pay over $749 million to Mexico, following accusations of corruption and money laundering linked to numerous public contracts. This amount is triple the initial demand by the Mexican government. García Luna's wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra, was ordered to pay $1.74 billion.
The ruling corroborates seven previous guilty verdicts against García Luna, his wife, and five companies, for failing to appear in court, as stated. So far, nearly $3 million worth of assets and properties belonging to the couple have been seized.
Genaro García Luna, who served as Mexican Minister of Public Security from 2006 to 2012 under President Felipe Calderón, was convicted in February 2023 for cocaine trafficking and corruption. In October 2024, he was sentenced to over 38 years in prison in the USA, cooperating with the notorious Sinaloa cartel. In total, he received a sentence of 460 months in prison and a $2 million fine.
García Luna is recognized as the highest-ranking former Mexican government official to face drug charges in the USA. Prior to his public service, he headed the Federal Investigation Agency (AFI), responsible for fighting corruption and organized crime.
Investigations by the New York federal prosecutor's office revealed that García Luna colluded with the Sinaloa cartel, led by drug boss Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, to smuggle at least 53 tons of cocaine into the USA from 2001. In return for his services, he allegedly received millions of dollars worth of bribes while the cartel profited from the deadly drug trade.
After leaving public service in 2012, García Luna moved to the USA, where he secured lucrative contracts with the Mexican government until his arrest in December 2019. Mexico accused a company linked to the García Luna family of receiving more than 30 public contracts worth over $745 million. The proceeds were allegedly transferred abroad using tax havens and acquired properties and other assets in Florida.
The repercussions of this corruption case underscore significant levels of corruption within Mexico's government officials and the elaborate legal and financial consequences that ensue.
- This recent ruling in the United States has ordered Genaro Garcia Luna, a former Mexican Minister of Public Security, and his wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra, to pay billions collectively for corruption, money laundering, and drug trafficking, with a focus on assets obtained in the US and Mexico.
- The corruption and money laundering case involving Genaro Garcia Luna, previously a high-ranking Mexican security official, highlights the complex nexus between politics, crime, and finance, engaging the efforts of authorities in both the US and Mexico.
