Former Mexican secretary of public security Genaro García Luna has been sentenced to over 38 years in prison by a New York court for his role in collaborating with the Sinaloa cartel led by notorious drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.

The sentencing follows his conviction in February, where a jury found him guilty of accepting millions in bribes to protect the cartel’s drug trafficking operations for more than a decade.

The judge also imposed a $2 million fine, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday.

“After years of destructive narcotic trafficking and deceit, Garcia Luna will spend nearly 40 years where he belongs: federal prison,’’ said Breon Peace.

The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement.

“Garcia Luna accepted millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel to allow millions of kilograms of cocaine to flood the streets of the U.S.,’’ it added.

Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram said.

“Instead of protecting the citizens of Mexico, Garcia Luna was protecting drug cartels,’’ she added.

Mr García Luna, 56, was Mexico’s top law enforcement official between 2006 and 2012 under then-President Felipe Calderón, responsible for leading the fight against drug cartels.

He was arrested in Dallas, Texas, in 2019.

His defence had claimed he was a victim of revenge by criminals he helped incarcerate with U.S. cooperation.

The same judge had sentenced “El Chapo’’ to life imprisonment in 2019. 

(dpa/NAN)