Chief of Mexican Police Appointed Secretary-General of American Police Community

His appointment comes amid controversy over his alleged links to drug traffickers

By Fernando León
Special to The Narco News Bulletin

October 14, 2010

Genaro García Luna was appointed Secretary-General of the American Police Community, also known as Ameripol, in place of the commander of the Colombian National Police, Óscar Adolfo Naranjo Trujillo.

One of the main objectives of Ameripol is to combat drug trafficking. García Luna obtained the appointment even though as the figurehead of the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP in Spanish initials) he has been questioned for a long time over links to drug trafficking that had been maintained by his inner circle. In August of this year the magazine Nexos wrote that “the majority of García Luna’s circle of collaborators was in collusion with drug trafficking.” This accusation is accompanied by the testimony of a protected witness who claims Mario Arturo Velarde Martínez, García Luna’s private secretary during his term as head of the Federal Investigations Agency four years ago, had dealings with the Beltran Leyva group.

His appointment as Secretary-General of Ameripol—a position that lasts from 2010-2013—occurs while his management as head of the SSP is mired in controversy over the alleged protection of specific drug trafficking groups at the same time that Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s war on drugs is taking place. Despite being the head of the federal SSP, Garcia Luna has been the subject of preliminary investigations by the Mexican Attorney General’s Office. The appointment is also controversial due to the construction of an enormous mansion on his property south of Mexico City, which has an approximate cost of $2 million dollars. For some, the source of this money is suspect because, according to certain reports, García Luna’s salary is not enough to acquire the property, and in 2008 he had declared a debt of more than 6.8 million pesos ($550,000 in US dollars).

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