<p>Mexico has issued an arrest warrant for a former security minister wanted on corruption charges and may request his extradition from the United States where he is being held awaiting trial, an official told Reuters.</p>.<p>Ex-Security Minister Genaro Garcia Luna pled not guilty last month to US charges involving a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme allegedly designed to boost the Sinaloa cartel once headed by jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.</p>.<p>The new arrest warrant was issued on Friday and resulted from a charge of illegal enrichment in Mexico, according to an official with the attorney general's office.</p>.<p>The charge stems from Garcia Luna's inability to show that more than $1 million in property acquisitions in Mexico were made lawfully, the official said.</p>.<p>"We already have an arrest warrant against Garcia Luna and we're studying the viability of requesting and starting his extradition process," the official said.</p>.<p>Milenio newspaper reported earlier on Sunday that an extradition request would follow the conclusion of the former minister's trial in the United States. Reuters was not able to confirm that.</p>.<p>Mexico's foreign ministry, responsible for making extradition requests, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>.<p>Garcia Luna is accused of taking suitcases of cash from the Sinaloa cartel to ensure safe passage for its drugs as well as passing on information about its rivals.</p>.<p>He was arrested in late 2019 in Dallas and is currently being held in New York awaiting trial.</p>.<p>His indictment has roiled Mexico's political establishment, marking the first time such a senior security figure had been charged with aiding one of the country's most powerful criminal organisations.</p>
<p>Mexico has issued an arrest warrant for a former security minister wanted on corruption charges and may request his extradition from the United States where he is being held awaiting trial, an official told Reuters.</p>.<p>Ex-Security Minister Genaro Garcia Luna pled not guilty last month to US charges involving a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme allegedly designed to boost the Sinaloa cartel once headed by jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.</p>.<p>The new arrest warrant was issued on Friday and resulted from a charge of illegal enrichment in Mexico, according to an official with the attorney general's office.</p>.<p>The charge stems from Garcia Luna's inability to show that more than $1 million in property acquisitions in Mexico were made lawfully, the official said.</p>.<p>"We already have an arrest warrant against Garcia Luna and we're studying the viability of requesting and starting his extradition process," the official said.</p>.<p>Milenio newspaper reported earlier on Sunday that an extradition request would follow the conclusion of the former minister's trial in the United States. Reuters was not able to confirm that.</p>.<p>Mexico's foreign ministry, responsible for making extradition requests, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>.<p>Garcia Luna is accused of taking suitcases of cash from the Sinaloa cartel to ensure safe passage for its drugs as well as passing on information about its rivals.</p>.<p>He was arrested in late 2019 in Dallas and is currently being held in New York awaiting trial.</p>.<p>His indictment has roiled Mexico's political establishment, marking the first time such a senior security figure had been charged with aiding one of the country's most powerful criminal organisations.</p>