Genaro García Lunaformer Secretary of Public Security of Mexico, denounced through its lawyers to suffer “excessive and extreme” imprisonment conditions in several prisons in the United States, which has hindered its right to defense and the process of appealing its sentence for drug trafficking.
García Luna, who was sentenced in October 2024 to 38 years in prison for collaborating with the Sinaloa cartelcurrently remains in the Maximum Security Prison Adx Florence, in Colorado. Since his departure from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, in December 2024, the former official has been transferred to several prisons, including UPS Lee, in Virginia, where, according to his defense, he was subjected to inhuman conditions.
According to judicial documents released by their lawyers, César de Castro and Valerie Gotlib, García Luna has been practically incommunicado for eight months. In that period he has only been able to talk to his legal representatives for three hours.
“In eight months we have only allowed three hours of communication with our client,” Gotlib wrote in a letter sent to the Court of Appeals of the Second Circuit in New York. He added that in his years of experience as a defender, he had never faced a similar situation.
The lawyers said that since his departure from Brooklyn, García Luna has not received the legal documents of his case, nor has he had access to the transcripts of the trial, motions, or sentence materials.
During your imprisonment in the UPS Lee prison, He was in an isolation unit known as “El Hoyo”reserved for inmates who violate the norms, although, according to their file, it has no disciplinary infraction in almost six years of imprisonment. In that unit, they denounce that he was denied the possibility of bathing, shaving and eating with cutlery, and only a couple of underwear was provided.
Consequently, García Luna has lost more than 14 kilos. “It has suffered visible physical deterioration, the result of inadequate diet and lack of basic hygiene conditions,” their defenders told the Millennium newspaper.
Partial improvement in Adx Florence
After its transfer in July 2025 to Adx Florence – the only “supermax” prison in the United States – García Luna has experienced limited improvements. According to his lawyers, he can already shower and eat with utensils, but incommunication persists.
“Since July 31 we have scheduled two calls with Mr. García Luna. None has been done. The first was canceled by an un notified transfer and from the second we do not receive any explanation,” De Castro denounced in a document.
In addition, technological restrictions in prison have prevented García Luna from accessing their legal documents. The authorities recommended sending the material in physical format, but the lawyers point out that this is unfeasible. Only The transcription of the trial consists of 2,043 pagesin addition to other key files.
“Mr. García Luna has not been able to review any note prior to the trial or documents for the preparation of his appeal. This has made it impossible to advance in the presentation of arguments,” said Gotlib.
Given this panorama, the defense asked the Court a third extension to deliver the opening allegations of the appeal process. The current deadline expires in September, but lawyers are looking for an extension of 90 daysuntil December, to meet the presentation.
“The denial of access to our client has created excessive and extreme difficulties that have prevented our ability to complete the opening brief,” they said in the document.
García Luna was found guilty in February 2024 by a jury in New York, who held him responsible for collaborating with the Sinaloa Cartel during his management as Secretary of Public Security in the Government of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012). The sentence, issued in October by Judge Brian Cogan, includes his imprisonment until June 2052.
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