Mexico’s former top security official has been convicted in the US of taking millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa drug cartel once run by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Prosecutors told a court that in return, Genaro Garcia Luna provided safe passage for cocaine shipments, protection from arrest and information on law enforcement operations against the cartel.

Garcia Luna, 54, had pleaded not guilty to taking part in a continuing criminal enterprise but faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life behind bars.