From "Super Cop" to Inmate

By: Elián Zidán

Justice has finally caught up with the so-called "super cop," the man who, for years, boasted of being Mexico's "drug czar" under former President Felipe Calderón’s administration.

What a twist of fate. Genaro García Luna’s downfall unfolded in the very same courtroom, and under the very same judge, who once sentenced Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

The connection is striking, considering García Luna is accused of having collaborated with, and taken bribes from, the Sinaloa Cartel for over 20 years.

At 56 years old, García Luna will now spend 38 years in prison to reflect on his decisions. Despite his last-minute pleas for mercy in letters to Judge Brian Cogan, his fate was sealed.

His numerous accolades, awards, and high-profile career did him no good in court—in fact, they worked against him.

García Luna has become the highest-ranking Mexican official ever to be tried and sentenced in a U.S. court, marking a historic moment.

While the prosecution sought a life sentence, Judge Cogan, known for his firm approach, offered a small bit of mercy—allowing him the chance to be released when he turns 94.

The double life of this once-prominent official, will now be the burden he must bear in prison. The judge sentenced him for abusing his power to protect and enable organized crime.

As with all media-driven trials, political interests on both sides of the border quickly came into play.

In the U.S., authorities are keen to set a precedent and send a strong message to corrupt politicians, not only in their own country but across the border as well.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, the ruling party (Morena) has embraced the conviction as a victory in its broader fight against neoliberalism, and specifically, against past administrations.

Gerardo Fernández Noroña, President of the Mexican Senate, reminisced about how, as a congressman, he once told García Luna to his face that he belonged in jail alongside his boss, President Calderón—and that he wouldn’t rest until that happened.

On the other hand, President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized former President Calderón’s statements, labeling them as cynical.

The price of freedom is beyond measure, and Genaro García Luna will have plenty of time to reflect on that from his prison cell, where he will remain for the next 38 years.

The role of a public servant is to protect the public's interests. When that responsibility is betrayed, there must be consequences.

Power and money cloud judgment, and those very same things that once made García Luna untouchable have now sealed his fate.

Justice is the "moral principle that demands everyone live honestly." No amount of wealth or influence could protect him from a country that, after years of investigation, has shown him, far from the land he betrayed, that no one is above the law.