Podcast

Back to Top

Transcription

MARIA: HOLA, QUÉ PASÓ, DEAR LISTENER? WHAT’S UP? WHAT’S UP?   WHAT’S UP? IT’S MARIA HINOJOSA.

PENILEY: AND THIS IS PENILEY RAMIREZ.

MARIA AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WE’RE BACK. YOU’RE LIKE, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. WHAT HAPPENED? SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WRAPPED UP OUR FIVE PART SERIES, ‘USA V. GARCIA LUNA’ JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE SAID, LOOK, WE WRAPPED UP. BUT IN MANY WAYS WE’RE JUST STARTING. SO HERE WE ARE BECAUSE OUR GUY, GENARO GARCIA LUNA, RIGHT. HE IS FINALLY FACING THE U.S. JUSTICE SYSTEM. IT’S HAPPENING.

PENILEY THIS LONG AWAITED TRIAL IN THE FEDERAL COURT IN NEW YORK CITY STARTS TODAY. AND MARIA AND I, WE ARE BACK TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW.

MARIA SO, ONCE AGAIN, WITH THE BEST THEME MUSIC OF ALL TIME, THIS IS ‘USA V. GARCIA LUNA.

[THEME SONG]

MARIA SO LISTEN, THIS IS NOT WHAT WE WOULD SAY: A FULL EPISODE, RIGHT? BASICALLY, IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES, WE’RE GOING TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE THE START OF THIS TRIAL. BUT OF COURSE, WE’RE GOING TO DO IT ‘USA V. GARCIA LUNA’-STYLE, SO…

RIGHT NOW WE’RE RECORDING VIRTUALLY, SO WE’RE TOASTING VIRTUALLY. BUT LOOK, WHEN PEOPLE TOAST IN LATIN AMERICA, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THIS SAYING “ARRIBA, ABAJO, AL CENTRO Y PA’DENTRO.” THAT’S GOING TO GUIDE US IN THIS CONVERSATION, RIGHT? GARCIA LUNA, WE’RE STAYING ON THIS THEME. SO, PENILEY, WHAT IS THE TOP LINE? WHAT IS THE ARRIBA PART OF THIS STORY, JUST AS THE TRIAL IS GETTING UNDERWAY TODAY?

PENILEY WELL, ANYONE WHO LISTENED TO OUR SERIES KNOWS THIS, BUT THE LEDE HERE IS THAT GENARO GARCIA LUNA WAS THE SECRETARY OF PUBLIC SECURITY OF MEXICO FROM 2006 TO 2012, AND NOW HE’S ACCUSED OF HELPING THE SINALOA CARTEL TO SMUGGLE MORE THAN 50 TONS OF COCAINE FROM MEXICO TO THE UNITED STATES, MAINLY HERE TO NEW YORK AND TO CHICAGO.

MARIA SO FOR CONTEXT, THAT’S WOULD BE LIKE THE SAME AS IF THE US SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY WERE ACCUSED OF HELPING EL CHAPO SMUGGLE DRUGS INTO THE UNITED STATES. OKAY, THAT’S THE PARALLEL.

PENILEY YEAH. AND MARIA, ACCORDING TO THE ACCUSATIONS, GARCIA LUNA WAS AT THE SAME TIME PARTLY MANAGING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT THE U.S. WAS SENDING INTO MEXICO TO FIGHT THE WAR ON DRUGS, AND HE WAS WORKING REALLY CLOSELY WITH THE DEA.

MARIA OKAY, THAT’S PA’RRIBA. TOP LINE, WE’RE GOING TO GO DEEPER NOW BECAUSE REMEMBER PA’ ABAJO. SO, PENI, WHAT’S THE DEEPEST, MOST BEHIND THE SCENES THING THAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS TRIAL JUST AS IT’S GETTING STARTED?

PENILEY WELL, SOMETHING HAPPENED JUST IN THE LAST FEW DAYS, AND THIS IS BIG NEWS FOR US. SO YOU WILL REMEMBER: LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE PRODUCING THE USA VERSUS GARCIA LUNA PODCAST, WE AS A TEAM DECIDED TO INCLUDE A FULL EPISODE ABOUT HOW GARCIA LUNA BECAME A MILLIONAIRE IN MIAMI. AND WE DECIDED THIS EVEN IF THE MIAMI PART OF THE STORY WASN’T PART OF THE TRIAL IN NEW YORK. BUT GUESS WHAT?

PENILEY NOW THE PROSECUTION HERE IN NEW YORK CITY HAS INCLUDED INFORMATION ABOUT THAT LIFESTYLE IN MIAMI AS AN EXHIBIT IN THE NEW YORK TRIAL.

MARIA OKAY. SO BASICALLY HOW IT ALL STARTS, RIGHT? WHEN YOU GO TO FIND OUT ABOUT GARCIA LUNA’S MULTIMILLION DOLLAR HOME IN MIAMI. AND SO WE’RE GOING TO TAKE A MOMENT TO REFRESH OUR LISTENER’S MEMORY, RIGHT? SO QUICKLY, BRING US UP TO DATE.

PENILEY WELL, IN NEW YORK, GARCIA LUNA, AS WE KNOW, IS ACCUSED OF WORKING WITH THE SINALOA CARTEL TO SMUGGLE DRUGS. BUT IN MIAMI, A CIVIL LAWSUIT ACCUSES GARCIA LUNA, ALONG WITH OTHER MEXICAN BUSINESSPEOPLE, OF STEALING ALMOST $600 MILLION FROM THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT.

MARIA RIGHT. SO I’M ASSUMING, DEAR LISTENER, THAT YOU HEARD  EPISODE FOUR, WHICH IS WHERE YOU UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF INVESTIGATIVE WORK THAT PENILEY DID TO UNCOVER THIS. AND WHAT WE THOUGHT IS THAT WE COULD ONLY HINT AT A CONNECTION BETWEEN THESE TWO CASES. BUT NOW, JUST BEFORE THE TRIAL STARTS, WE SEE THE PROSECUTION IS ACTUALLY DRAWING A DIRECT LINK BETWEEN THE TWO. DO YOU THINK THAT THEY’VE BEEN LISTENING O SEA, COMO LO VES, NO SE?

PENILEY WELL, ONE POSSIBILITY IS THAT, YEAH, THEY ARE LISTENING TO THE PODCAST AND THE OTHER POSSIBILITIES IS THAT WE WERE RIGHT. BUT GUESS WHAT, MARIA? THE DEFENSE OF GARCIA LUNA IS TRYING TO BLOCK THE PROSECUTION FROM MAKING THIS CONNECTION THAT WE JUST EXPLAINED. SO THEY SUBMITTED A MOTION TO PREVENT, AND I’M QUOTING THIS FROM THE DOCK “EVIDENCE OF WEALTH HE AMASSED. SO GARCIA LUNA AMASSED OR ACQUIRED AFTER 2012 TO APPEAR IN THE TRIAL.”

MARIA PENI YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU. EVIDENCE OF WEALTH HE AMASSED, NOT ‘AMAZED.’

PENILEY WELL, IT WAS AMAZING, RIGHT?

MARIA OKAY. LOOK, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT VERY SERIOUS THINGS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A HUGE, HUGE CASE. BUT YOU ALSO KNOW THAT PART OF WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO DO WITH PENILEY AND MYSELF AND YOU, DEAR LISTENER, IS TO LAUGH A LITTLE BIT. PORQUE SINO, WE’D BE CRYING, RIGHT? ALL RIGHT, SO PA’ ARRIBA, PA’ ABAJO, AHORA, PAL’ CENTRO. SO WHAT’S THE MEAT OF THIS STORY? WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW RIGHT BEFORE THE TRIAL STARTS?

PENILEY WELL, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TRIAL THAT HAVE DERIVED SO FAR FROM EL CHAPO TRIAL. WE HAVE BEEN TELLING THIS TO OUR LISTENER. AND GARCIA LUNA IS ACCUSED OF BEING SORT OF A TRIPLE AGENT. SO HE WAS, ACCORDING TO THE ACCUSATION, WORKING AT THE SAME TIME FOR THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT WITH THE DEA AND FOR THE CARTELS. GARCIA LUNA’S JUDGE, BRIAN COGAN, WHO IS THE SAME JUDGE WHO PRESIDED OVER EL CHAPO’S TRIAL, HAS DETERMINED THAT THIS CASE IS ALSO A HIGH-PROFILE CASE. THIS WAS ENOUGH TO DECIDE THAT THE JURY NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED.

MARIA WOW, WHEN A JURY, IS NOT ONLY SEQUESTERED, WE UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT TO MAKE THE JURY ANONYMOUS AGAIN, DEAR LISTENER, IF YOU QUESTION HOW IMPORTANT THIS CASE IS, THAT’S JUST ANOTHER LITTLE HINT.

OKAY, SO NOW Y PA’DENTRO, WE’RE GOING TO GO AND GET A TEMPERATURE CHECK INSIDE. AND WE’RE WE LIKE TO TALK ABOUT OUR EMOTIONS HERE. SO, PENI, COMO TU ESTA, WHAT’S YOUR TEMPERATURE CHECK?

PENILEY RIGHT NOW, I HAVE A LOT OF EMOTIONS. IT’S BEEN SO EXCITING TO HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE LISTENING TO THE PODCAST, BOTH IN THE U.S. AND IN MEXICO AND SEE THEM GET INVESTED IN THIS CASE THAT FOR LONG SEEMED TO BE OBSCURE AND KIND OF LONELY FOR ME, ACTUALLY. NOW THAT THE TRIAL IS STARTING, I CAN’T WAIT TO BE THERE EVERY DAY AND SEE FIRSTHAND WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE, FROM THE COURT FILINGS, WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT THE NEW YORK PROSECUTORS ARE TRYING TO BLOCK THE DEFENSE FROM PRESENTING ANY LETTERS OR AWARDS OR RECOGNITIONS OR OTHER ITEMS FROM U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS PURPORTING TO POSE FOR THE DEFENDANT. SO THE DEFENSE WILL THEN BE ABLE TO PRESENT ALL THE AWARDS, SOME PHOTOGRAPHS OF GARCIA LUNA. YOU KNOW, WITH U.S. OFFICIALS THAT WE KNOW HE WAS SO FOND OF.

MARIA I MEAN, THE FACT THAT WHEREVER HE LIVED, HE SEEMED TO SET UP A ROOM THAT HAD ALL OF THESE AWARDS, DIPLOMAS. AND THE DEFENSE IS SAYING: ‘WE NEED TO BRING ALL OF THOSE AWARDS INTO THE TRIAL. AND THE PROSECUTORS ARE SAYING ‘NO.’ IT HIGHLIGHTS, AGAIN, THE IMPORTANCE OF HOW GARCIA LUNA SAW HIMSELF VIS A VIS THE UNITED STATES.

PENILEY BUT, I ALSO WANT TO KNOW, MARIA, HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

MARIA I THINK AS A JOURNALIST BORN IN MEXICO I HAVE ALL KINDS OF EMOTIONS, RIGHT? IT’S A MEXICAN MAN BEING TRIED IN THE CITY WHERE I NOW LIVE, IN NEW YORK. I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE AN EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, PENI, WHAT YOU AND I ARE BOTH WATCHING IS: WHAT IS THE NARRATIVE GOING TO BE? BECAUSE YOU AND I, AS JOURNALISTS, WE ARE POINTING FINGERS AT CORRUPTION ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER AND AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS. SO, DEAR LISTENER, WELL, YOU’RE GOING TO GET EVEN MORE OBSESSED CAUSE WE’RE ON THIS TRIAL ALL THE TIME. RIGHT, PENI?

PENILEY YES. WE ARE GOING TO BE THERE, AND YOU CAN GET ALL OF THE DETAILS OF THE TRIAL ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA. SO REMEMBER TO FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS OF FUTURO INVESTIGATES ON INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER AND TIKTOK.

MARIA AND, DEAR LISTENER, THERE WILL BE MORE OF ‘USA VERSUS GARCIA LUNA’ RIGHT HERE ON THIS FEED.

PENILEY SO STAY TUNED.

MARIA SEE YOU IN COURT. OH, WAIT, SALUD.

PENILEY SALUD.

CREDITS: “USA VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA” IS AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION BY FUTURO INVESTIGATES, A DIVISION OF FUTURO MEDIA, IN COLLABORATION WITH LATINO USA. LEMONADA MEDIA IS OUR ADVERTISING AND DISTRIBUTION PARTNER.

YOU CAN LISTEN TO “USA VERSUS GARCÍA LUNA” WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS AND ON OUR WEBSITE: FUTURO INVESTIGATES DOT ORG—THAT’S FUTURO INVESTIGATES DOT ORG.

The work of Futuro Investigates is made possible by the W.K.Kellogg Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Tow Foundation, the Geraldine H. Dodge Foundation, Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, and Hispanics in Philanthropy.

Back to Top