David Brooks and Jim Cason
Correspondents
La Jornada Newspaper
Wednesday, October 2, 2024, p. 17
New York and Washington. The hearing scheduled to hand down the sentence against Genaro García Luna was postponed until October 16 by order of federal judge Brian Cogan, in charge of the case.
Without offering reasons, the judge issued his order to change the original date to issue the sentence against the former Secretary of Public Security of Mexico scheduled for October 9 to the 16th of this month.
Federal prosecutors asked the judge to issue a life sentence, while defense attorneys have asked for a 20-year prison sentence for their client. Judge Cogan is scheduled to consider the applications and issue his ruling on October 16.
On February 21, 2023, a jury found García Luna guilty of all five drug trafficking charges against him that revolve around the accusation that he was bribed with millions of dollars from the Sinaloa cartel in exchange for his protection. With this, García Luna is the highest-ranking Mexican official to be prosecuted in the United States.
García Luna’s lawyers are expected to challenge the conviction and some subsequent negotiation with the Department of Justice to reduce the sentence in exchange for his cooperation against other suspects is not ruled out.
