García Luna: Mexico ex-security minister sentenced to 38 years in US jail

In a landmark ruling that has sent shockwaves through Mexico and beyond, Genaro García Luna, the former Mexican security minister under President Felipe Calderón from 2006 to 2012, has been sentenced to 38 years in a United States jail. This sentence marks a historic moment, as García Luna is the highest-ranking Mexican official ever to be convicted in the US. His trial and subsequent sentencing have illuminated the dark underbelly of corruption and collusion with drug cartels that has marred Mexico’s security apparatus for decades. García Luna played a pivotal role in Mexico's fight against drug cartels during a period that is now infamously known as the Mexican Drug War. Under his leadership, the security forces were supposed to combat the cartels and reduce drug-related violence within the country. However, instead of stemming the flow of illegal narcotics, his tenure was plagued by scandal, with frequent allegations of collusion with the very cartels he was supposed to be fighting against. The journey to García Luna’s conviction began when he was arrested in Texas in 2019, on charges including drug trafficking and accepting millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, once headed by the notorious Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. The evidence presented during his trial painted a grim picture of betrayal and corruption. Witnesses, including former cartel members, testified against García Luna, describing how he allowed the Sinaloa Cartel to operate with impunity in exchange for substantial brib