The infamous drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman will spend the rest of his life in prison — plus 30 years. The sentence comes after months of speculation following his widely publicized trial in February. The trial resulted in convictions on 10 separate charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering.
This morning, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman learned his fate at a federal courthouse in New York where the drug lord gave a short statement complaining about the inhumane conditions in his prison cell.
Guzman gave his most extensive comments in the case so far, saying that his conditions of confinement at the federal jail in Manhattan amounted to “psychological, emotional and mental torture.” He said he’s been forced to drink unsanitary water and gets little light or air.
— Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) July 17, 2019
According to New York Times reporter Alan Feuer, during the impact statements given by one of his victims, Andrea Velez, the assistant to Alex Cifuentes, a former El Chapo ally turned state’s witness recalled how the drug lord had used her in the past to carry out various operations. However, once the working relation went south, Guzman hired the infamous motorcycle gang Hell’s Angel’s to kill her for $1 million.
Long story, but things went south between Andrea and Guzman, the kingpin paid the Hell’s Angels $1 million to kill her. Didn’t happen obviously, but Andrea today described the lingering nightmares and terror.
— Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) July 17, 2019
Andrea said that when she first met Guzman she was impressed by his kindness and charisma and felt he and his Sinaloa cronies were her family. She came to see that was a kind of Stockholm syndrome and claims she eventually saved by the FBI for whom she became an undercover agent.
— Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) July 17, 2019
Breitbart News reported that Guzman’s trial revealed feds were trying to seize $12.6 billion that the Sinaloa Cartel made during El Chapo’s tenure. It remains unclear how much of those illicit proceeds can actually be found.
The trial also revealed that El Chapo managed to bribe or control politicians and public officials in Mexico at the highest levels. Those include an alleged $100 million bribe to former President Enrique Pena Nieto, Breitbart News reported. Testimony during the trial also pointed to El Chapo having sent money to current Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) for his unsuccessful 2006 presidential bid.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Border / Cartel Chronicles. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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