The wife of the drug lord “Chapo Guzmán” has been held without bail and faces a life sentence.

An American federal judge ordered to be temporarily detained without the possibility of bail to Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquín “el Chapo” Guzmán, accused of drug trafficking.

The colonel, arrested Monday in the state of Virginia, outside Washington, faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, plus a possible fine of $ 10 million if she is found guilty of the criminal charge against her.

This was explained on Tuesday by Judge Robin Meriweather, of the District of Columbia Federal Court, during the first hearing into the case, which Coronel heard remotely from a cell in the detention center. where it is located, in Virginia.

Through a Spanish interpreter, the judge reminded Coronel that there was a criminal complaint against him for which the United States He accuses her of “conspiracy to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin, five or more kilograms of cocaine, 1,000 or more kilograms of marijuana, and 500 or more grams of methamphetamine. “

In addition to conspiring for the “illegal importation into the United States” Among these drugs, the US authorities accuse him of “aiding and encouraging” the activities of the Sinaloa cartel, led by El Chapo, “said the judge.

The US prosecutor handling the case, Anthony Nardozzi, requested during the hearing that Coronel be kept in pre-trial detention pending trial and without the possibility of bail, whereas there is a “serious risk of absconding”.

“The defendant has access to criminal partners who are members of the Sinaloa cartel, as well as to financial means which imply that she presents a serious risk of flight. In addition, she has no direct link with the region of Sinaloa. Washington DC “, where she is being held, Nardozzi said.

Coronel’s attorneys have accepted the prosecution’s request, though they reserve the right to post bond in the future, as has Chapo’s wife. she was detained pending the next hearing in his case.

The judge proposed that this new hearing be scheduled in two weeks, but Coronel’s lawyers responded that they may need more time to prepareand suggested negotiating with the prosecutor’s office to agree on a date to be determined.

The defense is led by Jeffrey Lichtman, who was one of Chapo’s main attorneys during his trial two years ago in New York City, and who will be assisted by Mariel Colón, a lawyer who also defended the famous capo and In the process, she became a confidante for Coronel.

Chapo’s wife barely spoke during the hearing, beyond responding in monosyllables to the judge’s questions about his ability to go through the process and know his rights, and only confirmed at the end: “I understood everything very well, thank you.”

Colonel, 31 years and of dual Mexican and American nationality, she was arrested on Monday at Dulles International Airport (Virginia).

The defendant, who has twin daughters with El Chapo, gained media attention when she accompanied her husband to his New York trial, which ended in 2019 with a life sentence that the notorious trafficker of Mexican drugs is now serving in Colorado (USA). ).

In addition to his alleged drug trafficking conspiracy, the United States considers that Coronel “conspired with others to aid Guzmán in his July 11, 2015 escape from the Altiplano prison, llocated in Almoloya de Juárez, Mexico“according to the Ministry of Justice.

Source: EFE and AFP

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