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El Chapo Sentenced To Life In Prison + 30 Years, And Must Give Up $12.6 Billion
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 17, 2019
Modified Jul 17, 2019
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 17, 2019
Modified Jul 17, 2019
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Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán was sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years, five months after being found guilty of murder conspiracy, money laundering, firearms possession, and engineering the transportation of more than 200 tons of cocaine into the United States.
Eastern District U.S. Judge Brian Cogan said "the 'overwhelming evil' of Mr. Guzmán’s crimes were apparent," according to the NY Times. He also asked that Guzmán forfeit $12.6 billion in assets.
The 12-week trial saw 56 witnesses testify about Guzmán-ordered murders; his lavish lifestyle with a private zoo, anti-aging treatments in Switzerland, and a $10 million beach house, thanks to a "cocaine boom"; his escapes from captures and prison; and his literally gilded weaponry.
In court, before the sentencing, Guzmán said through a translator, "Since the government will send me to a jail where my name will not ever be heard again, I take this opportunity to say there was no justice. You denied me a fair trial while the whole world was watching ... What happened here is very clear, that the United States is no better than any corrupt country that you don’t respect."
He also accused the trial of being a farce, "Why did we go to trial? Why didn’t you sentence me on day one?"
Guzmán has been held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan, since January 2017. He is "expected to serve out his sentence in the nation's most secure federal prison in Florence, Colorado," CNN reports. His defense lawyer Jeffrey Lightman said, "He's going to Supermax, I'm sure, in Colorado. No one has ever escaped. It's absolutely impossible. It's not even an issue."
According to Vice, the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, ADX for short, "houses around 450 men deemed too dangerous to be held in less secure facilities. Every inmate is kept in solitary confinement, typically for 22 or 23 hours per day, but Chapo will be subject to even tighter restrictions."
Jurors did consider the fact that Guzmán would be subjected to an extremely isolated prison life. One juror told Vice, "A lot of people were having difficulty thinking about him being in solitary confinement, because, well, you know, we're all human beings, people make mistakes, et cetera ... [Some jurors] talked about whether or not he was going to be in solitary confinement for the rest of his life, because if he was, they wouldn't feel comfortable finding him guilty.”
U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said today, "This sentence is significant and it is well deserved. It means that never again will Guzman pour poison over our borders, making billions, while innocent lives are lost to drug violence and drug addiction"
Guzmán plans to appeal the verdict.
Tagged
drug trafficking
el chapo
joaquin guzman
mexico
murder
sinaloa cartel
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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