Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Mexico and the power of the drug cartels

Government corruption at the highest levels



A former top Mexican security official was arrested in Texas and charged with accepting bribes from drug lord Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman.
US prosecutors charged 51-year-old Genaro Garcia Luna with making false statements and participating in drug trafficking conspiracy, according to Reuters. 
The charges say that Luna accepted bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel in order to provide them with information on their competitors, and to aid their drug trafficking activities.
Luna moved to the United States in 2012, and he's charged with lying on his naturalization application in 2018.
"Chapo" Guzman was sentenced in the US to life in prison after an astounding escape from prison in Mexico. In October the Mexican government appeared to cave to the power of the cartel when they released the son of Guzman from custody after a bloody armed attack in the city of Culiacan.
After the astounding episode, the president of Mexico rebuffed the offer from President Donald Trump to help battle the drug cartels by labeling them as terror groups.

"If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively," the president tweeted in November.
"The great new President of Mexico has made this a big issue, but the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!" he added.
Luna could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty of the charges.

Here's more on the drug cartels in Mexico:

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