Genaro García Luna Wanted to Threaten Journalists & Kill Witnesses in his Case, including "El Rey" Zambada

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

Former Secretary of Public Security, Genaro Garcia Luna has been in US custody since his arrest in 2019.

US authorities revealed that Genaro García Luna was involved in talks that included the murder of key witnesses in his case, including Jesús “El Rey” Zambada, former operator of the Sinaloa Cartel; and Luis Cárdenas Palomino, former head of the Federal Police during Felipe Calderón 's six-year term.

United States prosecutors revealed conversations that the former head of the Ministry of Public Security (SSP) had with an inmate inside a US prison after being captured on charges of having received bribes to favor the Sinaloa Cartel.

According to the documents revealed by US authorities, García Luna tried to contact a member of the Russian mafia so that he would allegedly carry out the murders. The former official called from inside the prison where he has been since his arrest in 2019.

Through a document issued by the court of the Eastern District of New York, the transcripts of the conversation were shown in which García Luna expressed his distrust in the Russian, whom he included in the same conversation as Jesús El Rey Zambada, and Luis Cárdenas Palomino.

Transcript of the conversation between Luna and another individual about his plans to target witnesses.

García Luna asserted that “ No one has confidence in the Russians, that whatever they say, whatever, as I said: 'no, they work with this subject', exactly the same thing”, while his interlocutor stated, “ Like I said, to put it with Raymond or Reynaldo ”.

The former head of the SSP mentioned the names Reynaldo and Luis, whom US prosecutors identified as El Rey Zambada and Cárdenas Palomino, two key witnesses in his case.

After the mention of the names by García Luna, the prisoner with whom he spoke mentioned "Kill the witnesses, kill..." "Family" complemented the former Calderon official. The telephone number of the false member of the Russian Mafia, identified by the name Greg, was provided to the inmate who spoke with the former official, it was an American intelligence agent.

The 20-page document also mentioned that prosecutors have evidence of "the defendant's intentions to harass and bribe journalists who were investigating his crimes during the time period," which is directly connected to the evidence linking him. with the accusations against him.

In the same way, the report delivered to the Brooklyn court indicated that García Luna made payments with money from illicit activities to a new company, whose name was not revealed, so that its journalists omitted to publish negative news about him.

The prosecutors also revealed that he harassed and threatened a journalist who had an interest in his case for years, who was investigating the alleged bribes that operators of the criminal organization gave to the former head of the SSP to favor the criminal organization. . In this way, they charged that " silencing journalists helps explain how he managed to corruptly assist the Sinaloa Cartel for years without being detected or arrested."

Genaro García Luna was arrested on December 9, 2019, in Dallas, Texas, to later be transferred to a New York jail, where he is currently in prison awaiting his trial, which will take place on October 24 of this year in the Court. Federal Eastern District in Brooklyn, New York.

Recently, during a press conference, Mexican President López Obrador commented that he hopes the United States resolves the Garcia Luna case during his term. López Obrador commented that the trial has already taken too long and no progress is known. “We already know that he had links with a criminal group and that is why he is in jail accusing him of that in the United States. I will continue to insist that it has been going on for a long time and we do not know anything about that trial,” he indicated.

Sources Infobae, Milenio