The sister and nephew of Mexico’s former federal security minister Genaro García Luna, convicted in the United States on organized crime charges in February, have both been arrested in Cuernavaca, Morelos.
Gloria García Luna and Edgar Anuar Rodríguez García were detained on Thursday morning in the Lomas de la Selva neighborhood of Cuernavaca, where the family owns two properties. They are accused of organized crime and operations with resources of illicit origin.
In addition to being Genaro García’s sister, Gloria García previously served as director of crime prevention at the Morelos Public Security Ministry. During Genaro García’s New York trial for drug trafficking, witnesses accused Gloria García of links to criminal organizations including the Beltrán Leyva and Sinaloa cartels. The state of Morelos was identified as an operational center for the García Luna family’s criminal network.
The latest arrests come two weeks after Oswaldo Luna Valderrabano, Genaro García’s uncle, was detained in Puebla, on Dec. 1. Last Friday, a judge ruled that Luna Valderrabano must stand trial on organized crime charges related to his role in a company that formed part of García Luna’s network.
He is currently held in a federal prison in México State, pending trial. Six months have been granted for investigators to complete their inquiries.
Meanwhile, legal battles continue in the United States surrounding the trial and sentencing of Genaro García, who served as federal security minister between 2006 and 2012, during the administration of former President Felipe Calderón.
On Dec. 15, Genaro García’s lawyer, Cesar de Castro, filed a motion requesting that the guilty verdict against his client be thrown out and a new trial held. He claimed to have new evidence discrediting key witnesses in the trial, whom he alleges had coordinated their stories in order to continue their criminal activities.
De Castro also claimed to have received 3.6 terabytes of information from Mexican authorities showing that Genaro García was responsible for the capture of former drug traffickers who later testified against him at trial. Prosecutors will now respond to this appeal before a judge rules whether to grant the motion.
García was convicted on five drug trafficking-related charges on Feb. 21 this year. Witnesses accused him of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltrán Leyva family. His sentencing has since been postponed until March 2024, following a successful defense appeal.
With reports from Sin Embargo, El Universal, Excelsior and Infobae
