Florida Court Orders Ex-Mexican Security Chief, Wife to Pay $2.4 Billion to Mexico

A Florida court ordered former Mexican security chief Genaro Garcia Luna and his wife Linda Cristina Pereyra to pay over $2.4 billion to Mexico for corruption and money laundering tied to dozens of inflated government contracts. Garcia Luna, once hailed as a "supercop," was convicted in 2023 of accepting millions in bribes from the Sinaloa drug cartel to facilitate cocaine smuggling, resulting in a 38-year prison sentence and a $2 million fine. The judgment includes nearly $749 million from Garcia Luna and $1.74 billion from his wife, and follows prior guilty verdicts against them and their companies for failing to appear at trial. Evidence revealed the couple laundered illicit funds through offshore accounts and luxury purchases, including Miami real estate and vintage cars. This case highlights systemic corruption at high levels of the Mexican government during the drug war years and aims to recover stolen assets and deter future corruption. Nearly $3 million in assets, including a company and real estate, have already been seized as part of the enforcement efforts.