Imprisoned ex-Mexican Minister Expected to Repay Billions to Home Country - In the U.S., a past Mexican minister, who was behind bars for doling out billions to Mexico, receives another conviction.
Former Mexican Security Official Ordered to Pay Billions in U.S.
Mexico is seeking compensation from Genaro Garcia Luna, a former high-ranking Mexican security official, for alleged corruption and money laundering involving public contracts. The demanded amount has tripled from the initial demand, with Garcia Luna ordered to pay nearly $749 million and his wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra, ordered to pay $1.74 billion.
The ruling comes after seven guilty verdicts were previously issued against Garcia Luna, Pereyra, and their five companies for failure to appear in court. The U.S. authorities have already seized approximately $3 million from their assets and properties.
Garcia Luna was sentenced to over 38 years in a U.S. prison in October 2024 for his collaboration with the Sinaloa cartel, which led to over 360 months in prison and a $2 million fine. He was found guilty of cocaine trafficking and corruption earlier in 2023.
Garcia Luna, who served as Mexico’s Secretary of Public Security from 2006 to 2012, is the highest-ranking former Mexican official to face drug charges in the U.S. Prior to the charges, he led a tough campaign against drug gangs and headed the federal police force AFI, tasked with fighting corruption and organized crime.
Investigations by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York revealed that Garcia Luna helped the Sinaloa cartel, then led by drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, smuggle at least 53 tons of cocaine into the U.S. starting in 2001. In exchange for millions of dollars in bribes, he provided confidential information about law enforcement operations, arrested members of rival cartels, and facilitated the safe passage of drug shipments.
After leaving public service in 2012, Garcia Luna moved to the U.S., where he secured lucrative contracts with the Mexican government until his arrest in December 2019. A business group linked to Garcia Luna and his family allegedly received 30 public contracts and over $745 million during this period. The money was reportedly transferred abroad using tax havens and the purchase of properties and other assets in Florida.
- The demand for compensation from Genaro Garcia Luna and his wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra, stems from their alleged involvement in money laundering and corruption, particularly in relation to public contracts, a case that’s deeply rooted in politics, crime-and-justice, and general-news.
- Garcia Luna's conviction for cocaine trafficking, corruption, and money laundering, which resulted in billions paid to him and his wife, was not only detrimental to the United States' fight against drug trafficking but also implicates the finance sector, as a significant amount of money was laundered in the process.
