More than twenty citizens have already been questioned as jurors in the Chapo Guzmán case trial

Una partition of potential jurors in the trial for drug trafficking directed against Joaquín el Chapo & # 39; Guzmán and were questioned Monday in federal court in New York among which an impersonator of Michael Jackson, a woman who follows Mexican soap operas and another that supports the legalization of marijuana.

The group of women and men of between the ages of 20 and 60, some of whom are of Latino origin are among the 100 or so persons who replied to the questionnaire sent by mail approximately 1,000 people who will be questioned as potential jurors as part of a process in the room of Judge Brian Cogan, who chairs this meeting. Case

The selection of the jury opened Monday the lawsuit against the Mexican after nearly two years of extradition from Mexico to answer charges of drug trafficking directed against the cartel of Sinaloa who according to the accusation, he founded with Ismael Zambada García and that he distributed to the United States. tons of drugs.

Guzmán Loera was accompanied by his lawyers, Eduardo Balarezo and Jeffrey Litchman, and followed the process through the translator of the court.

The judge, the prosecutors, the defendant, and the lawyers shared the same chart, while next to them they sat on the first 19 jury candidates – they were 20 but one of them was not. Is not shown – Cogan has asked general questions, such as his knowledge of the presumption of innocence or the question of whether they recognize that the accused does not mean to be guilty. 19659002] They were also asked if they had done a search on "El Chapo " after receiving the questionnaire. One of them who responded in the affirmative was dismissed. They were also thrown out and four other people were cited, as was the one who did not appear.

At the end of the judge's interrogation, the group was released from the room and called one by one with the number that identifies it, because the security reasons will not allow to know his name where they live or work.

Security is extreme in this process; it was therefore limited to five the number of journalists who can follow the process and who, in turn, inform the large group. media coverage of this historical and media case

About five of them who answered in the affirmative were questioned again on this issue and stated that they could take an oath without any weight because if it was proven that he had sent drugs to the United States, it would have been done illegally.

Among those interviewed is a man who said he wanted to emulate Michael Jackson and who, already in the questionnaire, had indicated that he had problems with the route He toured at the end of the March and the trial coincides with his trials.

The government, represented by the Office of the Attorney General, expressed doubts about the fact that he could be identified by knowing what he was doing. Judge Cogan pointed out that there were many imitators of the artist

Another jury candidate indicated that he knew who he was Chapo & # 39; because he had seen soap operas with his grandmother and had followed the Mexican actress Kate del Castillo

Another prospective juror indicated during the interrogation that he knew that the defendant had escaped from prison and that he had been interrogated by Sean Penn.

A warning to the jury candidates during the interrogation was that they knew the Spanish should stick to the translation made by the court interpreter of what is said during the process in this language.