García Luna Accuses ‘Extreme Abuse’ in US Prison: He Lost 14 Kilos and Was Deprived of Showering and Shaving.
García Luna claimed that he had been held in a US prison in solitary confinement.
Genaro García Luna, Felipe Calderón’s former Secretary of Public Security, was sentenced to 38 years in prison on October 16, 2024, for his collaboration with the Sinaloa Cartel.
García Luna has been transferred between several prisons, including the Brooklyn jail and the UPS Lee prison in Virginia, before arriving at the AMX Florence super maximum security center in Colorado.
Garcia Luna declared that in each of these centers, conditions have been critical. At UPS Lee, the former Mexican official was held in solitary confinement, prompting his lawyers to request the intervention of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to restore his communications.
“While he was held at USP Lee, he was deprived of the ability to shower, shave, or even eat with utensils. Despite not receiving a single disciplinary infraction in nearly six years of incarceration and being provided only a pair of underwear,” his defense attorneys charged.
According to his lawyers, the Mexican official has suffered the following conditions:
- Incommunicado: He has only had three hours of communication with his lawyers in eight months.
- Weight loss: He has lost more than 14 kilos due to inadequate eating conditions.
- Lack of hygiene: He has not been allowed to bathe and has been forced to eat without cutlery.
- Extreme isolation: He has been held in a punishment area known as “the Hole,” where conditions are harsh and human rights violations have been reported.
However, García Luna acknowledged, after being transferred to ADMAX Florence, that his conditions have improved significantly because he has been allowed to shower, eat with utensils, and read, but he still lacks access to any relevant legal materials that would significantly assist his attorney in preparing his appeal.
“He has not had access to any of the trial transcripts, motions, post-trial litigation, or sentencing materials,” reads the letter from García Luna’s attorneys.
The former Secretary of Public Security was transferred this Monday, June 30, to the dreaded ADX Florence maximum security prison in Colorado, United States, where some of the world’s most dangerous criminals are serving sentences. His release is scheduled for June 19, 2052.
ADX Florence is the only prison in the United States labeled “supermax” due to its extreme level of security: no inmate has escaped since its opening in 1994.
In that prison, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán shares a prison cell with a long list of high-profile criminals, such as Francisco Javier Arellano Félix of the Tijuana Cartel and Juan García Ábrego, former leader of the Gulf Cartel.
Source: El Financiero
