El Lobo Valencia testifies in the US that he gave García Luna 10 million dollars

david brooks

Correspondent

Newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, January 31, 2023, p. 9

New York., A mid-level capo allied with the Sinaloa cartel declared yesterday that he gave Genaro García Luna more than 10 million dollars in cash in bribes, when the defendant was Secretary of Public Security and, in addition, involved in the drug corruption former Secretary of Defense Guillermo Galván Galván.

Former cartel leader Millenniumfaction of the Sinaloa cartel, Óscar The wolf Nava Valencia, was the first witness in this trial and testified that he personally delivered millions of dollars to bribe the defendant. Other witnesses so far have only testified that they were present or had knowledge of those bribes.

Nava arrived on the New York stand in a canary yellow prisoner’s uniform and was the only witness on this fourth day of presenting testimony and evidence in the trial.

In response to questions from the prosecution, he stated that he had met the defendant in person on two occasions and that he met him through Arturo Beltrán Leyva.

He explained that the first time he made a payment to García Luna was in 2006, as part of a cock or collection coordinated by Arturo Beltrán Leyva. I had to contribute 2.5 million dollars.

In return, it was expected more control and security for drug trafficking operations, as well as greater access to airports, seaports and information on operations and the movements of rivals, he added.

A issue in Manzanillo

He testified that the first time he saw García Luna in person was in 2007. He wanted to resolve a issue with his cargo of 10 tons of cocaine that arrived by sea from Colombia to the port of Manzanillo and was seized by the Navy, along with another container on the same ship, with another 10 tons belonging to Arturo Beltrán Leyva. Each container was worth $30 million, plus another $20 million for transportation.

In attempts to break free cocaine, Arturo Beltrán Leyva informed The wolf who had already spoken with the graduates, as according to the witness they called García Luna and his lieutenant Luis Cárdenas Palomino. And that the message was: do not worry. The agreement was that he and Beltrán Leyva had to pay García Luna 5 million each to recover the cocaine. but things they got hot more and the matter was not resolved.

They then agreed to a meeting with García Luna, in a country place Beltrán Leyva, on the outskirts of Cuernavaca. The now defendant informed the drug traffickers that he had not been able to rescue the shipment, because the Americans were already involved.

Shortly thereafter, Nava said, the defendant gave them a document sensitivewhich verified that the US authorities had knowledge of the containers and the ship from its origin.

With that document they were able to demonstrate to the Colombians that the problem was theirswhich saved them about 50 million dollars.

Split in Sinaloa

Nava recounted that the second time he saw García Luna was in 2008. The internal conflict had broken out in the Sinaloa cartel, during which the witness’s relationship with Beltrán Leyva broke down, after the capo kidnapped him for a week to seek help. of the secretary in the contest with the new enemies.

To have the meeting, we had to first pay 500 thousand dollars to Cárdenas Palomino. The full payment of $3 million required would be completed at the meeting, he explained.

The meeting and this payment of 2.5 million dollars took place in the office of a car wash in Guadalajara, the Estetic Car Wash, whose photo was shown in court.

Nava Valencia reported that he was the leader of the cartel Millennium from 2004 to 2009, when he was arrested. He estimated that he trafficked more than 100,000 kilos of cocaine to the United States between 2000 and 2009, a business that was achieved for the bribes we made in my country. When answering about how many people had been killed on his orders during his racereplied that more than a hundred peoplealthough under questioning by the defense he confessed that he had no idea.

Prisoner, extradited and collaborator

The witness reported that he was arrested by the Mexican Army in 2009 and was extradited to the United States, where he began collaborating with the DEA and various prosecutors starting in 2011. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, but for his cooperation He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, a sentence that was reduced by 33 percent. He hopes to go free in 2025 or perhaps sooner because of his collaboration in this trial.

On his interrogation turn, the defense lawyer, Florian Miedel, systematically bombarded the witness with questions about the murders and torture he ordered and ended up extracting details of the cooperation agreements with the US authorities in this trial.

He tried to disqualify the credibility of the witness in his statements against his client, who was carefully observing the maneuver of one of his lawyers.

The defense rebutted the witness that in his multiple interviews with US prosecutors, from 2011 to 2020, “you never mentioned a name. Do you know which one?… García Luna”. Nava responded that that was not the focus of the prosecutors until 2020, meaning that they had not asked him about the former official.

Miedel reversed that yes The wolf had mentioned another member of Felipe Calderón’s cabinet to prosecutors in 2013, when the witness implicated the then Secretary of Defense, Galván Galván, in bribery from the drug dealer, which were allegedly paid to him through General Mario Acosta Chaparro.

I don’t remember clearly that meeting, replied the witness.

In his line of sowing doubts in the jury about the veracity of the cooperating witnesses, Miedel sought to leave the impression that it was only after the arrest of García Luna that Nava provided the narrative that he offered to the prosecutors about the defendant.

The litigant assured that the witness, in a meeting with prosecutors just last month, suddenly told them that he had lied and that he never knew García Luna, but that he later decided to proceed and appear here.

Nava hesitated and tried to explain that my concern was my familywhich, he said, is in Mexico and is in danger.

Shortly thereafter, prosecutors tried to repair the possible damage of this exchange before the jury. They allowed Nava to explain that he suddenly hesitated to testify against García Luna for his fear of possible repercussions of his testimony and the existence of threats Y attacks that his family has suffered. It puts one in the eye of the hurricane againhe stated.

Regarding his motivation for offering this testimony against García Luna, the cooperating witness assured that it was not to receive a benefit, such as a reduction in his sentence or the transfer of his family from Mexico to the United States, but that he was doing so. as a way of giving back, of contributing to the society of my country.