Mexico: El Chapo Guzmán is condemned for drug trafficking
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A New York jury ruled that the famous Mexican criminal, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, is guilty of drug trafficking
One of the most important drug lords of recent times was convicted of drug trafficking in New York federal court, after several days of discussions. "Chapo" was accused of 10 crimes, among which were drug trafficking to the United States, use of weapon, and money laundering.
Leer en español: ¡Tras las rejas! El Chapo Guzmán es condenado
The person in charge of reading the verdict, Brian Cogan, convened on June 25, as the date on which the information will be given of the sentence, which may end in life imprisonment. El Chapo would pay the sentence in the prison ADMAX Florence of Colorado and where it would have a total isolation, as he is considered a danger for society.
Within the framework to determine the culpability of the capo, "the US government proved that El Chapo was one of the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, which trafficked at least 150 kilos of cocaine and earned more than 10 million dollars for drug trafficking in a term of 12 months", as stated by El Comercio. According to the same media, he was also found guilty in 25 of the 27 violations for which he was accused, including conspiracy to murder in the context of drug trafficking.
In this regard, Guzmán's team of lawyers regretted the verdict and they claimed to be "very disappointed with the verdict, but we are respectful of the process and the decision of the jury, we face the unprecedented obstacles to defend Joaquín, including his confinement, which prevented us from attending properly, there were multiple complications to interview the witnesses", said the spokesman for the El Chapo defense.
According to El País, Jeffrey Lichtman, one of the lawyers of the Mexican capo, assured that the defense team intends to appeal because it considers that the possibility of questioning the witnesses was limited in the process.
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El Chapo Guzmán
Probably one of the best-known drug traffickers in the world, he was the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico until his extradition to the United States in 2017. He became the country's main drug trafficker and his story quickly became known because of the 3 times he managed to evade justice while incarcerated.
In 2015, the capo managed to escape from the maximum security prison of El Altiplano, near Mexico City. As if it were a movie, the Mexican capo managed to sneak away along a tunnel over 1,500 meters long and which connected "the shower of his cell with a building site", as El País reminds us. At that time, the government of Peña-Nieto was seen in the eye of the storm, because the work of the escape revealed the deficiency not only in security, but in dealing with drug trafficking.
The Capo lasted a year evading justice, until finally in 2016 he was captured in Sinaloa. From that moment, it began the process of extradition to the United States, which occurred in 2017. Now, it seems that the novel of one of the most dangerous drug traffickers in Mexico has finally ended.
LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz
Translated from "¡Tras las rejas! El chapo Guzmán es condenado"
