1674006635 When I read the word cartel I get scared Jury

“When I read the word ‘cartel’ I get scared”: Jury selection marks the beginning of García Luna’s trial in New York

When I read the word cartel I get scared Jury

Genaro García Luna looks a little older than in photos from his time as a member of former President Felipe Calderón’s cabinet. After three years in a New York prison, the former secretary of public safety has completely gray hair. At around 9:30 a.m., he appeared in court in Brooklyn in a navy blue suit, light-colored tie and white shirt. He hugged one of his lawyers. He put on a headset to listen to the Spanish translation of the case against him and stood up as the court entered session. That was the first image left by the trial of García Luna, the highest-profile former Mexican official to serve in the dock in the United States. The trial began Tuesday with jury selection and interviews with dozens of potential candidates. It is an inevitable step to decide who will be the 12 people who will finally decide the guilt or innocence of the defendant, who faces three charges of drug trafficking, one of organized crime and another of false testimony.

“Do you think you can be a fair and impartial person to both parties?” Judge Peggy Kuo, presiding over the selection process, asked each prospective juror. At the request of the prosecution and defense, the judge asked the questions to learn more about the candidates, citizens who were chosen at random and had to fill out detailed questionnaires on virtually every aspect of their lives. “I heard about the name of this criminal gang [El Cartel de Sinaloa] and about El Chapo, but I don’t think that compromises my impartiality,” said a middle-aged white man, one of the first to be summoned by the court.

The jury’s selection process quickly became a reflection of American society: its ethnic mosaic, its inequalities, the differing opinions in debates about drug legalization, its trust in institutions and the justice system, or its interest in news, politics and the war on drugs. “The idea of ​​participating in this process makes me very nervous, very anxious,” confessed a professor of Hispanic descent, voice broken, who seemed so overwhelmed that she was excused from continuing the process.

“You indicated in your questionnaire that you watched a series about El Chapo on Netflix, can you tell me more about that?” Judge Kuo asked a woman in a black coat. “I’ve watched a few episodes of Narcos, but honestly I’ve lost interest,” the New Yorker said, adding that she’s the partner of an active DEA agent, though she’s assured it does her ability to present an unbiased to pass judgement, would not affect. García Luna’s lawyers questioned the suitability of this candidate. “Most of the prosecution witnesses are former drug dealers,” argued César de Castro, who leads the defense.

The former security minister agreed. He followed each intervention with his eyes, directing his gaze to the left side of the court where the citizens were answering the questions one by one. He almost always had a straight face and a frown, and occasionally exchanged a few remarks with his lawyers. To most people who watched the process, it appeared quiet to some extent. He sometimes adjusted his glasses or raised an eyebrow after hearing a few answers from potential jurors. Meanwhile, a cartoonist quickly drew a fountain pen on a piece of cardboard and colored the suspects’ clothing in her sketch.

A woman in a light blue blouse admitted she may have been intimidated by García Luna’s presence and the seriousness of the charges against him. “When I read the word ‘poster,’ it really scares me a bit,” he said. She hadn’t flinched that the defendant was in the same courtroom with her until the judge told her. The former secretary smiled slightly at the confusion. The woman was thrown away.

On another occasion, the judge asked a man if he thought the fact that his brother-in-law was a lawyer could affect the verdict. “No, we haven’t spoken since my wife and I got divorced,” he replied. “Hypothetically, if you were indicted, would you want a person like you on the jury?” the judge said to another candidate. “Honestly, no,” confessed another potential member.

A black woman said her brother is in prison and her son is awaiting trial for illegal gun possession, but she trusts the justice system. Another man spoke out strongly against legalizing marijuana, and another defended the exact opposite. A Russian immigrant asked not to be selected because she did not speak the language, as did another man with a foreign accent. The vast majority were concerned at the thought of being absent from work for almost eight weeks, the expected length of the process, in many cases without pay. Some had vacations planned and wanted to get away. Others had no one to take care of their children or sick relatives. Different facets of New York society appeared in the room: single mothers, family members of police officers, students, retirees and small business owners.

“A lot of people don’t like sitting on the jury or choosing their staff, but sometimes you find a way to make it work,” the judge admitted softly. After spending just over two hours in court, García Luna looked tired and raised his hand to his eyes. The court paused for lunch before moving on to a grueling session that lasted all afternoon. In the final phase of the more than eight-hour hearing, the batteries in García Luna’s translation device ran out. He was restless, made a few gestures to change them, and the process stopped for a few minutes. The jury selection is to follow on Wednesday. The identities of the people who pass the final filter are not disclosed.

As the court case progressed, so did the media trial. “García Luna, tell the truth,” read one of the banners carried by a group of 10 Mexican New Yorkers demonstrating outside the courthouse. “He betrayed the Mexicans, his responsibility was to look after the most vulnerable,” explained Guillermo Rojas, a 38-year-old protester. Rojas decided to come from Long Island City with other supporters of the President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to request that the trial answer various questions about the Calderón administration (2006-2012).

Prosecutors allege that García Luna used his position in Calderón’s cabinet to give the Sinaloa cartel operations preferential treatment and a free hand. The links between the criminal group and the former officer date back more than 20 years, as he was chief of federal investigations during the administration of Vicente Fox (2000-2006), authorities say. Allegations include millions of dollars in bribes, insider trading, death threats against potential witnesses and a corrupt plan to intimidate and silence the media. Former President Calderón has insisted since the arrest of the former official, one of his closest confidants, that he has no knowledge of any links to drug trafficking and trusts that the matter will be resolved in court. “It’s absurd for Calderón to say he didn’t know,” says Rojas.

The trial, which appears explosive, calls into question García Luna’s legacy and the credibility of the Calderón government’s strategy against drug cartels. Former crime bosses, ex-officials and politicians will parade through the corridors of the Brooklyn courthouse, as will hordes of journalists who have been pouring into the courthouse since 5 a.m. this Tuesday. Reporters followed the details from another room where cameras were installed to broadcast the session live. The net surrounding the case is a web of complicity, doubt and betrayal that stretches across the administrations of Mexico’s last three former presidents: Fox, Calderón and Enrique Peña Nieto.

The lawyer leading the defense denied rumors of a last-minute signing of an agreement. “We are going to court, there is no offer,” De Castro told the media as he left the court. Barring a change of schedule, both parties will present their first arguments before Judge Brian Cogan, the same one who sentenced El Chapo to life in prison in July 2019, this week or next.

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