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He came to carry drugs in cans of chicks. He bought the help of authorities and politicians spending millions every month. The revelations of the court on the life and affairs of El Chapo.
The main hall of the Brooklyn Federal Court was the scene of what we consider "the judgment of the century". Since November 5 last year, four days a week, New York has become accustomed to an unusual security feature. It was at this time that Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera left the prison for the courtroom and listened to several witnesses, as well as the judge and jury members, in order to successively reveal the strategies, the ways and the secrets of drug trafficking. between Mexico and the United States that he has spearheaded for years. After all, El Chapo, the most powerful drug trafficker in the world since the death of Pablo Escobar in 1993, is suspected of having transhipped in the United States about 200 tons of cocaine and other drugs.
In 2016, after two Mexican prison breakouts, the Mexican government managed to capture him again and obtain the extradition of the drug baron to the United States, where "El Chapo" would be tried. After the Christmas holidays, the trial resumed Thursday. More than just hearings, the court hearings opened Guzmán's entire life book told by the witnesses. From the time when the Sinaloa boy lived in poverty until he became one of the richest men in the world thanks to drug trafficking and all that this activity involved. And that's a lot. From creative techniques of drug transport to extravagances with money from the cartel of Sinaloa, there were bribes of millions and brutal violence with those who did not follow their orders
"El Chapo" lived in poverty. In adolescence, she helped sell oranges and her mother's bread, but the money was not enough for everything. "He was very poor and had nothing to eat, and that's why he got into the drug trade," Miguel Ángel Martínez, known as "El Gordo", told the court. Guzman's right-hand man in the Sinaloa cartel between 1987 and 1993. Martínez left nothing to tell: he explained how the drug baron grew up and described the beginnings of his drug-trafficking career.
Guzman began cultivating marijuana near his home in Sinaloa and by producing heroin by shaving gradually every morning. ", The resin of the poppies that he had planted When the Sinaloa cartel was created in the mid-80s, there were only 25 employees, but over time they would reach 200 Martinez's mission was to plan and track the planes carrying drugs from Colombia to the United States
At the beginning, the cartel was mainly aimed at marijuana trafficking, but Martínez always insisted that "El Chapo" devote more time to the production and the transport of cocaine which gave more money. and was easier to transport. "We sold a pound of marijuana at $ 2,000. The kilo of cocaine was worth $ 15,000 and did not occupy half the space, El Gordo explained during the trial.
The 1990s led to an increase in the trafficking of cocaine and cocaine. "El Chapo's" mudou "It worked It sent its planes to Tijuana to get the money back from sales.Everyone came back with about ten million dollars." It was the best thing in the world Martinez said,
With the hardening of the authorities' headquarters for drug trafficking, El Chapo was forced to improve the way the goods were transported from Mexico to the United States. There was a lot of imagination, Martinez also revealed at another trial session.In a secret tunnel at Agua Prieta, on the US border, the Sinaloa cartel was carrying between 25 and 30 tons of cocaine per between 1985 and 1990 Why this place? The answer is simple: the zone was "controlled", which means that the police had been corrupted to remain silent and close their eyes.
"I do the service a lot faster, try it and you'll see, your planes, your cocaine and your pilots will be a lot safer because I have good relations." Guzman badured Juan Carlos Abadía , leader of a Colombian cartel.
At that time, "El Chapo" began to be known to Colombian cartels under the name "El Rápido", because of the speed with which he was transporting drugs from Mexico to Los Angeles, explained. 39; former number 2 Gúzman. However, there was a time when the authorities were able to find the tunnel and the drug lord had to look for other ways to transport the goods. To this end, he used cans of jalapeños, the famous Mexican peppers, to store coca. There was also sand in the package, so as to achieve the same weight as indicated on the label. Martínez also explained that the two trucks could carry more than 2,000 kilos and that all this activity made a profit between 400 and 500 million dollars. that there were secret compartments in the cars, the fuel tanks and even in the hydraulic systems placed under the bed, one of them being located in the residence of 39; El Chapo, to cover access to a secret room where drugs and money were stored [19659005] Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadía, a Colombian who led a cartel that allied with Sinaloa, testified before the court of his surprise at the efficiency with which Guzmán had concluded the transaction. In the years when he led the North Valley cartel in Colombia, cocaine was transported to Mexico, after which the El Chapo cartel took over: it was supposed to allow the drug to cross the border. " I do service much faster, try and you will see. Your planes, your cocaine and your pilots will be much safer because I have good relations," Guzman told Abadía
These links, said the Colombian woman, were subsidized by the authorities. "When the planes arrived on clandestine runways in Mexico, they were protected by the federal police. They were receiving planes and cocaine and they were unloading, transporting and escorting them, "Abadía said at the trial, adding that the runways were well protected and lit, with new asphalt and good refueling facilities.
Once in the United States, the men in the Colombian cartel sold 60% of the drugs and, in exchange for the services provided, El Chapo contained 40% of the product. "" They were much faster. I remember that they did the service in a week. It was the first time that a Mexican drug dealer was delivering the drug so quickly, "he told the court." The normal delivery period for the remaining traffickers was 30 percent. " one month
At another hearing, Ramirez revealed other forms of drug transport.One of them coming from the sea, when the cartels decided to change the route and the means of transport used before the increase of air control at the border.It all began with small fishing boats carrying drugs from Mexico to US waters anchoring offshore, about twenty kilometers from the coast The cargo was then placed in boats carrying drugs on land, but control and surveillance of the coast also increased and the Sinaloa cartel was forced to transport the "product" more and more. further away from the coast, said In court, Pedro Flores, who helps translate the revelations of the drug traffickers, explained: "The further they went from the border, the higher the price of cocaine. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. "
The case seemed to go well, millions of dollars going back to" El Chapo. "However, the freight trips were Not always an ocean of roses One of the episodes Ramirez recalled in court was the time when one of the boats carrying 20,000 kilograms of cocaine had been sunk. that the captain of the boat began to consume the drugs that were on the ship, began to hallucinate, imagining that the US coastguard approached the boat and were going to catch it. "He [o capitão] ] began to see ghosts and guards everywhere " revealed Ramirez, quoted by the Daily Mail, confessing how he felt when he heard the story." When I saw all this sea, I was very sad. "After the sinking of the boat, the captain was taken away in hey peloptère with the help of the Mexican Federal Police. The cartel members have always tried to send divers to look for lost cocaine, but this one was discovered only a year later in the Pacific Ocean. During this Thursday's meeting, Vicente Zambada Garcia, son of Ismael Zambada Garcia, current cartel leader formerly commissioned by & # 39; El Chapo, also revealed that often the transport of the drug was carried out in submarines and sometimes in trains.
One million dollars a month. This would be the value often given to authorities and leaders to silence the drug trade and pave the way for their transport across the border. Who also revealed that it was Vicente Zambada Garcia, who based his own experience and that of his father on the deal. Among the people who were paid, there was an army general who was part of the Mexican Ministry of Defense and who received $ 50,000 a month from the cartel. In return, he provided help and silence. According to testimony, an army officer reportedly provided security for former Mexican President Vicent Fox
but leaders also appear on the list of bribes. On the first day of the trial, El Chapo's lawyers had a defined defense strategy. Target? Ismael Zambada, who is on the run and runs the Sinaloa cartel after the arrest of Gúzman, according to his own son's confession. They argued that it was only a conspiracy organized by him, the "true leader" of the cartel. And they revealed that the bribes he had made had been paid to former presidents of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto and Filipe Calderón. The two, they said, will have accepted bribes of hundreds of millions of dollars that were transferred by Zambada on behalf of the drug cartel.
Quickly, the spokesman of the Mexican government Eduardo Sánchez denied everything and said that "the government of Henrique Peña Nieto persecuted, captured and extradited the criminal Joaquín Guzmán Loera", baderting that "the statements attributed to his lawyer are completely false and defamatory". Felipe Calderón followed the same path and made accusations "absolutely false and reckless". "He and Sinaloa's deal and no one else made me payment," wrote the former Mexican executive on Twitter.
The statements of the lawyer of Joaquín "el Chapo" are absolutely false and reckless. .
– Felipe Calderón (@FelipeCalderon) November 13, 2018
But the bribes of 'El Chapo & # 39; will have been pbaded by Guillermo González Calderoni, who was responsible for the office of the General Security Department of the General Prosecutor's Office in Guadalajara. According to Miguel Ángel Martínez's testimony in court, Calderoni would have been treated as a "friend" and would have worked with the drug lord between 1987 and 1992. It was he who had warned the drug trafficker that the government tried to intercept the planes that accompanied him.
Genaro García Luna, former Secretary of Public Security of Mexico, was also appointed to court as a corrupt leader to protect the cartel. In exchange, you have twice received a suitcase of at least three million dollars . The first payment was in 2005, when he was responsible for the Federal Investigation Agency of Mexico – the equivalent of the FBI of the United States – and the second when he was appointed secretary at the Public security.
If the initial story of El Chapo in court that he was badociated with poverty, the luxury that the Mexican could buy with the money from the booming trade of drug trafficking was quickly revealed. "He had houses on all the beaches and ranches of all the states of Mexico" also revealed Miguel Angel Martinez. The fleet of four private planes was added to the list and returned $ 10 million through the sale of the goods. Guzman had 45% of the value. The rest was distributed by Colombian officials.
As wealth increased, El Chapo was spending more and more. In total, $ 12 million a month in miscellaneous personal expenses came out of his pocket . Among these many trips: "We were in Brazil, Argentina, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and once went to Switzerland to do a rejuvenation treatment," said Martinez. In Guadalajara, Mexico, Guzman even created his own zoo with tigers, lions, panthers and deer. Those who went and wanted to see the animals, "walked the zoo in a little train". In Acapulco, the Mexican owned a house that he had bought $ 10 million. And because the money was not lacking, Guzman did not want to miss the opportunity to have his own yacht: he called himself "El Chapito".
Chapo also has the millions to invest in love, with "four or five different women". Among them will be the famous actress who mediated the famous interview given to the actor Sean Penn. And he held them all, except for the "officials to whom he had to pay" to serve them. They helped him when he needed to hide or that he was on the run. To add to all this, he often offered gifts to his friends. The proof is that he gave order to Martinez "to buy 50 luxury cars" to offer to the people who protected him. "They could choose between three models: Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar or Buick," revealed the former manager.
Millions of people transported by private plane were then placed in a bank account or exchanged for Mexican pesos at the bank. never asked questions. "If they asked me, I would say it was because of a tomato export business," said Martinez, revealing that he was receiving about a million dollars each december.
In 2004, Rodolfo Carillo Fuentes, a drug trafficker, was murdered with his wife and two children in front of a cinema in Sinaloa. From this attack, only one of the couple's children survived. During the trial, Jesús Zambada García revealed that the person responsible for this attack was "El Chapo". He did not like the opponent to ignore his compliment and leave it lying.
In 2004, Rodolfo Carillo Fuentes, a drug trafficker, was murdered with his wife and two children in front of a cinema in Sinaloa. From this attack, only one of the couple's children survived. During the trial, Jesús Zambada García, brother of Ismael Zambada, revealed that the person responsible for this attack was El Chapo. According to this testimony, Guzman would not like the fact that Rodolfo Fuentes did not greet him at a meeting, leaving him so extended.
This was one of many episodes of violence and threats. said in court and revealed how El Chapo "El Chapo" had avenged anyone who did not respect his orders or opposed his decisions. Miguel Ángel Martínez recounted another situation and revealed that during his first arrest in 1998, he was "pushed into a corner of the cell" and stabbed 15 times by other prisoners. He was taken to the hospital and when he was released he was sent back to the same cell with the same colleagues. "At night, I heard them sharpen their knives," he said at one of the test sessions.
Martinez was then transferred to another prison. And he was stabbed a second time while he was making a call. To be safe, he had to be placed in solitary confinement. El Gordo says that he does not forget the moment when the detainees "started shouting" and asking "how big he was". The prisoners wanted their shoes (a very hotly contested in the chains) because they believed that Martinez would end up being killed. Whoever would have managed to kill him would get the money offered by the Sinaloa cartel. "When I was fighting against my extradition, I never mentioned Mr. Guzman, I never left him, I never stole him, I never betrayed him. I took care of all his family and I received only four attempts against him, "said the former number 2 of" El Chapo. "
The Time of the Abundance of "El Chapo" The bloody battle between the Guzman cartel and his rival Tijuana ended in a shooting in a discotheque and the badbadination of Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo.The conflict provoked outrage in Mexico and "everyone was famous between the press and politicians", which made it very difficult the pursuit of business normally, as his photographs were everywhere.Guzmán was arrested (for the third time, after having already escaped twice from prison) before he could execute the evacuation plan of his family. El Salvador, whose aim is to produce a film about his life
Extradited to the United States, possible life imprisonment if found guilty of 11 crimes of drug trafficking, possession of weapons and money laundering.
* edited by Filomena Martins
