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For nearly two years, "El Chapo" in New York's high security prison had been waiting for him. The lawsuit against the drug lord and the escaped king has begun. The prosecution charged with "bloody war" – the defense is very different dar.
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been defending for decades an "immense empire of drug trafficking" by a "bloody war," according to prosecutors. Hundreds of people were involved in the cartel, but Guzman was a boss who took matters into his own hands, said prosecutor Adam Fels (local time) in New York on Tuesday in his opening address to kick off the gigantic process. against the once more powerful drug lord in the world.
If "El Chapo" wanted to get rid of someone, he had asked hitmen, or had been killed, said prosecutor Fels. The US government seized so much cocaine from the Guzman empire that it could theoretically give a pinch to every American citizen – more than 300 million people.
"El Chapo" just a scapegoat?
The defense rejected the allegations. Guzman is described as the biggest drug dealer in the history of the world, but this is "not true," said lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman. His client had appreciated the spotlight, but in reality, "nothing controlled". The real leader of the cartel was Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, former partner of Guzman, who had also poured millions of bribes to the former president and current president of Mexico, so that they would not be killed. Do not interfere in cartel business.
Mexican President Pena Nieto immediately rejected the charges. "The government of Enrique Pena Nieto has persecuted, arrested and extradited criminal Joaquin Guzman, and his lawyer's claims are completely false and defamatory," Mexican spokesman Eduardo Sanchez wrote on Twitter. The former President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, also rejected these accusations. "Neither he nor Sinaloa's cartel, nor anybody else made me any payment," he wrote on Twitter.
Guzman followed the launch of the process with an interpretation in Spanish at the ear and a stoic expression of the dock dressed in a dark blue suit. His wife, former beauty queen Emma Coronel, also came to the audience room. Judge Brian Cogan had previously banned Guzman from taking her in his arms.
Guzman would be responsible for 3000 murders
The trial of "El Chapo" opened on Tuesday under the most stringent security measures in the Brooklyn district of New York. In the pouring rain, early in the morning, dozens of journalists and spectators went to court to sit in the lobby. The opening speeches were initially delayed as two of the twelve jury members selected last week had to be replaced. A woman wrote to the judge in a letter that she was too nervous to attend the trial. Another board member stated that they were working independently and that the loss of income during the test period was too high. The members of the jury must remain anonymous for their own safety by order of the judge.
For example, US judicial authorities accuse Guzman of "El Chapo" (The Short), a drug dealer, money-launderer, and a criminal organization – the Mexican drug cartel Sinaloa. It is said that he has pbaded tons of cocaine and heroin to the United States, making billions. He should also be responsible for 3000 murders.
The process may take months
Judge Cogan says it can take months to reach a verdict. If he is found guilty, Guzman faces a life sentence. The death penalty is prescribed by an agreement between Mexico and the United States.
Since being shipped to the United States in January 2017, Guzman has been incarcerated in a high security prison in Manhattan. In Mexico, the drug lord had already experienced several spectacular epidemics in prison. The Brooklyn Court is considered an institution fighting organized crime. However, the war on drugs in Mexico continues to rage without "El Chapo".
(APA / AFP)
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