The drug trafficker Jesús “El Rey” Zambada García is the surprise witness that prosecutors had as a last resort against Genaro García Luna, the former secretary of Public Security of Mexico, the newspaper confirmed. The opinion of the Angels.
By Jesus Garcia
Los Angeles, February 12 (La Opinión).– The drug trafficker Jesus “The King” Zambada Garcia is he “important witness“who will testify against Genaro Garcia Lunareveals a document sent to the Eastern District Court of New York for the defense of Former Secretary of Public Security of Mexico.
Although the electronic document has covered (sealed) the name of Jesús “Rey” Zambada García, in a word search carried out by this journalist and in a simple copy-and-paste of the text of the document, the name of the witness was revealed.
The name appears when De Castro mentions that did not receive complete §3500 documentation (evidence) by the prosecutors, despite the multiple meetings they held with one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.
NOTE: The document sent by the defense seals the name, in the electronic search of the document his name: Jesus “Rey” Zambada Garcia appears. Also when copying the original text of the document.
This would confirm that “The King” is the “witness”. #juicioagarcialuna https://t.co/vcPmAOJbPK pic.twitter.com/Zon9JAHKkK— Jesus Garcia (@JesusGar) February 12, 2023
It is indicated that García Luna’s defense received documents related to the 69 Government proposals regarding the witness, before his sentencing in March 2020.
He adds that in the 5K letter – a recommendation to the judge responsible for Zambada García’s sentence – it is revealed that the prosecutors had questioned him more than 100 times.
In the letter sent to Judge Brian Cogan to receive the complete documentation, De Castro points out that they would have had 18 meetings with “El Rey”, but only provided information on two to García Luna’s defense.
“The Government says that it met with the witness 18 times in 2022 and 2023 and last night gave the defense two pages of §3500 [evidencia del testigo] related to 2 of those 18 meetings (one in November 2022 and the other on January 17, 2023)”, De Castro complains. “Consequently, the Government has only produced notes of 3 meetings with the witness since the arrest of Mr. García Luna in 2019.”
During the trial of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, the drug trafficker Zambada García was the first to claim to have given García Luna at least five or six million dollars, but during the latter’s trial his name was mentioned several times.
One of those times even when there was reference to his arrest, in the middle of the war between Mexican cartels. García Luna, who supported the Sinaloa Cartel, could not prevent the arrest of “El Rey”, orchestrated by members of the Beltrán Leyva Organization in collusion with corrupt police officers.
Prior to confirming the “surprise witness,” federal prosecutors confirmed to Genaro García Luna’s defense who the “important witness” who will testify is.
There were various speculations about the identity of the person who could close the case against García Luna in favor of US federal prosecutors and a recent document sent by the defense led by lawyer César de Castro kept the name of the aid worker secret.
It is known that that person received a federal sentence in March or April 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are no details about the specific charges he faced.
GARCÍA LUNA’S DEFENSE SEEKS TO BLOCK THE DECLAIMER
The defense is asking Judge Brian Cogan that the prosecutors hand over all the evidence that accompanies the cooperating witness, citing that there are at least 47 meetings of which no notes would have been generated.
From the outset, prosecutors mention 18 reported meetings, but only two were given information.
“The Government says that it met with the witness 18 times in 2022 and 2023 and last night gave the defense two pages of §3500 [evidencia del testigo] related to 2 of those 18 meetings (one in November 2022 and the other on January 17, 2023)”, De Castro complains. “Consequently, the Government has only produced notes of 3 meetings with the witness since the arrest of Mr. García Luna in 2019.”
The letter cites the 47 meetings with the witness between 2020 and 2023, but limits those that occurred in the last year.
This Monday, special court investigator George Dietz is expected to conclude his testimony on the information found on Garcia’s computer and other devices, in addition to presenting the last witness.
García Luna, who was an official during the governments of Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, must confirm this Monday whether or not to testify, but Judge Cogan has already advanced some rules that include a minimum window for prosecutors to question him about money obtained after 2012, the year in which he ceased to be Secretary of Public Security.