US Court Sends Ex-Head of Mexico's War on Drugs to Jail For 38 Years
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The Facts
A US court Wednesday sentenced Genaro Garcia Luna, former Mexico security chief who led that country's war on narcotics, to 38 years in prison for bribery.
Commensurate with the severity of his crimes, New York District Judge Brian Cogan also imposed a $2M fine on García Luna who was in office from 2006 to 2012.
The Spin
The sentencing of Genaro García Luna marks a watershed moment in Mexico's fight against corruption. As Mexico's former security chief and architect of the nation's drug war strategy, his conviction exposes the profound betrayal at the highest levels of Mexican law enforcement. The case validates long-held suspicions about state collusion with drug cartels, potentially forcing Mexico to reckon with its costly and controversial war on drugs.
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