From Enforcer to Convict: The Downfall of Garcia Luna

Genaro Garcia Luna, former public security minister of Mexico, faces sentencing in the U.S. for accepting bribes from drug cartels. Convicted in 2023, he could face life imprisonment, having taken millions to protect the Sinaloa Cartel. His lawyer appeals for a minimum 20-year sentence.

Genaro Garcia Luna, the former head of Mexico's national security efforts, will learn his fate in a Brooklyn federal court this Wednesday, following his U.S. conviction for accepting bribes from cartels he was supposed to dismantle.

Garcia Luna, 56, will appear before U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, facing a minimum of 20 years in prison, and possibly a life sentence, after being found guilty in February 2023 of participating in a criminal drug enterprise and conspiracy.

Prosecutors argue Garcia Luna took millions in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, directed by Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, and shielded its operations, leading to legal appeals for leniency based on his years already spent in jail since 2019.

(With inputs from agencies.)