By The newspaper
05 Oct 2023, 22:08 PM EDT
The Mexican Government announced this Thursday that it has successfully recovered assets worth more than $2.5 million in United States dollars.
These assets were linked to Genaro García Luna, former Secretary of Public Security of Mexico, who was convicted of drug trafficking in February, according to Mexican media Proceso.
The Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) revealed that Judge Lisa Walsh issued a forceful order to transfer assets for almost $1.97 million dollars from the company Delta Integrator, owned by García Luna, to the Government of Mexico. This transfer will be made within a maximum period of 10 days. Additionally, three properties have already been liquidated.
In addition, it was reported that an apartment located in Miami, Florida, with an estimated value of $555,800, has yet to be liquidated.
The UIF highlighted that the judge’s order means the delivery of a total sum of $2,524,050 dollars, approximately 44 million Mexican pesos, derived from the sale of properties acquired in Florida, United States, by García Luna and his wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra. These assets were associated with a corrupt network that operated against the Government of Mexico.
The recovered assets are the result of a civil lawsuit initiated by the Government of Mexico in Florida. This lawsuit aimed to recover millions of dollars allegedly “extracted” through a corruption network orchestrated by García Luna, who oversaw the “war on drugs” during the presidency of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012).
The FIU made it clear that this recovery marks the first step in recovering assets in Florida linked to more than a decade of corruption orchestrated by García Luna. This corruption spanned the administrations of Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto.
The repatriated funds will be allocated in accordance with current laws for the betterment of the Mexican population. It is important to note that the civil trial, in which the Government of Mexico seeks to claim more than $600 million dollars, is ongoing and will continue until its conclusion.
It is worth mentioning that although a jury in New York found García Luna guilty on February 21 of five counts related to drug trafficking and false statements in his application for US citizenship, his sentence is scheduled to be revealed in March 2024.
Keep reading:
· Government of Mexico denounced the wife of Genaro García Luna for her alleged complicity
· Genaro García Luna Case: How much is his wife Linda Cristina Pereyra’s fortune?
· Jury finds Genaro García Luna guilty of drug trafficking