Here in New York, Genaro García Luna, Mexico’s former top security official, once charged with leading the fight against narcotrafficking, was convicted Tuesday for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel under the former leadership of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who’s serving life in prison in the U.S. In exchange, García Luna protected cartel members from arrest and gave them safe passage for cocaine shipments and tip-offs about law enforcement operations.

García Luna served under former President Felipe Calderón, who launched Mexico’s U.S.-backed so-called war on drugs, that has led to the killing and disappearance of tens of thousands of people. García Luna also worked closely with U.S. counternarcotics and intelligence agencies as part of their supposed crackdown on drug cartels.