Ex-Mexico minister: $2.4 billion fine for drug corruption!

Ex-Mexico minister: $2.4 billion fine for drug corruption!

Genaro García Luna, Mexico's former security minister, was ordered by a Florida court to pay more than $2.4 billion to the Mexican government. This sum of around 2.1 billion euros is three times higher than the original amount that the Mexican authorities had demanded. The verdict affects not only García Luna himself, but also his wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra, who was ordered to pay $1.74 billion. On the one hand, García Luna was obliged to pay almost 749 million dollars. Some of the assets already confiscated from the two amount to almost three million dollars.

García Luna, who served as public security minister under President Felipe Calderón from 2006 to 2012, was convicted in February 2023 of cocaine trafficking and corruption. He is the first high-ranking former Mexican government official to face drug charges in the United States. In October 2024, he received a sentence of more than 38 years in prison, which includes a prison sentence of 460 months and a fine of two million dollars. During his time in office, García Luna was seen as a major U.S. ally in the war on drugs.

Drug trafficking and corruption

Investigations by U.S. prosecutors have revealed that beginning in 2001, García Luna helped the Sinaloa Cartel smuggle at least 53 tons of cocaine into the United States. During his time as security minister, he is said to have tipped off law enforcement operations and sabotaged rival drug cartels. He reportedly received millions of dollars in bribes and gave the cartel preferential treatment. A former member of the cartel claimed that at least $6 million was paid to García Luna as a bribe.

In addition to his convicted role, it is reported that he attempted to undermine his conviction by bribing or manipulating inmates. His actions contributed to a drug trafficking conspiracy that has caused thousands of deaths in the United States and Mexico. While García Luna denies his allegations, prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, are seeking the maximum sentence, while his defense is seeking a maximum of 20 years in prison.

An example of corruption

The García Luna case has drawn the attention of former and current government officials in Mexico. Former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is using the case to highlight widespread corruption in previous governments. New President Claudia Sheinbaum also commented on the issue, noting how ironic it was that someone previously recognized by U.S. authorities is now imprisoned on serious drug trafficking charges.

After retiring from public service in 2012, García Luna moved to the United States and secured profitable contracts with the Mexican government. A business group belonging to his family is said to have won 30 public contracts and received over $745 million. According to Mexico's anti-money laundering agency, much of the money was transferred through tax havens and invested in Florida in the form of real estate purchases.