Genaro Garcia Luna’s ‘7 Horsemen of the Apocalypse’ Network of Corrupt Security Officials

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The Undersecretary for Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) reported that when García Luna was in charge of the SSP, he led a small group identified as 'The 7 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.'

As the long-awaited trial in the United States against former Mexican Public Security Director, Genaro Garcia Luna begins next month; the Mexican government has outlined other public security officials either in prison or under indictment that made up his group of so-called "7 Horsemen of the Apocalypse" or the "12 Apostles".  While Luna is on trial for receiving bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel and its offshoots as well as drug trafficking; these other officials may be involved in those crimes as well.

The below transcript is from the presentation at President AMLO's morning press conference.

As it was raised here last week and the President of the Republic instructed us, we are going to report on what the structure was in the areas of public security during the years from 2001 to 2012 and that this continued to extend until 2018.

This is from the structure of Genaro García Luna. This is relevant because today [December 15, 2022] there is a hearing in the pre-trial court in New York prior to the trial that will begin in the United States against this person, which starts on January 9 of next year and is estimated to last two months on criminal conspiracy charges, million-dollar bribes by the Sinaloa cartel organization.

This photo is from the [then] recently created Federal Investigation Agency, the AFI, which was in the PGR, this was in the year 2001.

And here is a compact group that came from the Center, from Cisen, from the Center for Investigation and National Security. This group called themselves 'The 12 Apostles'.

Later, in 2006 they arrived at the federal Public Security Secretariat, led by Genaro García Luna, calling themselves 'The Seven Horsemen of the Apocalypse'. Among them is Luis Eduardo 'N', García Luna himself, Facundo 'N', Edgar Eusebio 'N', now deceased, who was assassinated a few years ago; Armando 'N' and Francisco 'N' as regional security coordinator and later held different functions.

This group was charged by different criminal leaders accused of being part of a network to whom bribes were given by the Sinaloa cartel. In different folders and trials, different criminal leaders have accused them of having received this type of multimillion-dollar bribe. 

This is the case of Edgar Valdez Villarreal, aka 'La Barbie'; Sergio Enrique, alias 'El Grande'; and  Gerardo 'N', alias 'El Indio'. All, are part of the criminal organization of the Sinaloa cartel and the group also of Beltrán Leyva.

In these events, they have been accused of being part of a bribery network, and several of them are accused and have been accused in different criminal trials that have been carried out in the United States and also in our country.

These were the main commanders in García Luna's time that have to do with criminal proceedings or with investigative files. There are other elements, but they do not have folders or criminal proceedings, which is why they are not mentioned here. But a whole structure dedicated to criminal collusion. And this was very important because all these commanders were in the Federal Police. That is why the determination of the President of the Republic to have promoted the extinction of the Federal Police and to have created the National Guard, was to clean up this whole network, because it had ramifications in practically all areas of regional security, in some areas of intelligence and research.

Genaro García Luna was one of the main officials behind the start of the war on drug trafficking by Felipe Calderón. His trial in New York begins January 9, 2023, after nearly 4 years in custody.

This is the case of García Luna, who, in addition to the trial he is going to face, has investigation files for illicit enrichment and for having allowed the introduction of weapons, cartridges, and explosives in the Fast and Furious operation, and is also accused of improper exercise of attributions by contracts that it made of federal centers of social readaptation.

This is the case of Luis Eduardo 'N', who is accused in the Fast and Furious case, is linked to the process for the crime of torture and is currently in a maximum security prison. He was credited with being number two in the structure of Genaro García Luna. He was in practically all areas, he was the head of the Regional Security division, which was the one that had full control of state coordination, control of airport areas, and borders; he was also in the Investigation division and was part of the team when he was at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This is also the case of Facundo 'N', also involved in Fast and Furious, he was even arrested by means of an arrest warrant, he later fought it through a trial and also has other types of charges.

This is the case of Ramón Eduardo, also charged with the crime of torture and is indicated in various investigative folders, even in trials that are currently taking place abroad. He was in the Anti-drug division, the Regional Security division, and in the Intelligence area, from which he was separated after the escape of "El Chapo" Guzmán from Cefereso in the altiplano in 2015.

Tomás Zerón de Lucio is wanted for crimes related to the investigation into the 43 missing students.

Also, as part of this structure and the ramifications that this entire group colluded with a crime had, is the case of Tomás Zerón de Lucio, who was in Regional Security during the time of Luis Eduardo 'N'. And he also has various arrest warrants, including forced disappearance and torture in the case of the 43 young people from Ayotzinapa. 

Igor "N", was the Director of Investigations of the Federal Preventive Police, was designated as Édgar Eusebio's right-hand man, and was accused of hindering investigations of kidnapping gangs and drug traffickers of the Sinaloa Cartel. However, he was executed in a kitchen in the Miguel Hidalgo mayor's office.

Sources GOB.mx