Former Top Mexican Official Imprisoned In U.S. For Aiding Cartels Decries Conditions, Says He's Been On Solitary Confinement For Months

Nearly five months since being sentenced to 38 years in federal prison in the U.S., the lawyers of former Mexican secretary of public safety Genaro García Luna, found guilty of aiding the cartels he was supposed to fight, are saying communication with their client has been very difficult since as he has been in solitary confinement for months now.

According to Mexican journalist Arturo Ángel, who had access to a letter sent by García Luna's attorneys to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the defendant's legal team has barely had a chance to communicate with him despite "constant efforts to coordinate legal phone conferences with the officials of the Federal Bureau of Prisons."

As Ángel reported for Milenio, lawyers claim that irregularities in García Luna's treatment became evident once he left a Brooklyn prison.

Meant to isolate inmates from the general population, solitary confinement is used for disciplinary reasons, safety, or for protection of certain inmates. García Luna, however, does not have a record of any disciplinary infractions.

According to Cristina Pereyra, García Luna's wife, his family has not been able to see him either. "The only thing I can say is that we cannot visit him due to the location where he is being held, as visitations are not allowed. Pereyra added that her husband has been "totally isolated," making it impossible for him to continue his legal process.

Valerie A. Gotlib and Cesar de Castro, García Luna's attorneys, told Milenio that their client spent just a few days at the Oklahoma prison before being transferred to the U.S. Penitentiary Lee in Virginia before they could even get in contact with him. "At the new penitentiary he was again placed in solitary confinement where he remains to this day," the attorneys said.

"We have made numerous efforts to talk to him but they have only provided us with two calls, one which was cut abruptly after just 24 minutes," de Castro said. He added that García Luna has not had contact with anyone outside of prison since December of last year.

During his term as Mexico's top security official, García Luna was tasked with fighting criminal organizations such as the Sinaloa cartel, but prosecutors say that he instead worked alongside them. Court records indicate that García Luna provided intelligence about investigations against the cartel, information about rival groups and the safe passage of drug shipments in exchange of millions of dollars.

The former high-ranking official was convicted in 2023 and a Brooklyn federal court jury found him guilty of conspiring with the Sinaloa cartel, participating in a criminal enterprise, and making false statements to U.S. authorities in October. U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan sentenced García Luna to 460 months in prison and a $2 million fine.