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"The little one" is one of the biggest criminals in the world. Joaquín Guzmán has earned billions as a drug lord – the lawsuit against him is now starting in New York. The 61-year-old Mexican, known as "El Chapo" for his small size, faces a life sentence. Fearing the attacks of criminal allies of Guzmán, the court has strict security. Even the Brooklyn Bridge was to be banned for transportation of the Mexican to the courts.
The bill on the prosecutor is long: "El Chapo" reportedly headed the infamous Mexican cartel Sinaloa, the most powerful drug trafficker in the world. Between 1989 and 2014, he and his accomplices imported approximately 155 tons of cocaine into the United States. Heroin, crystal meth and marijuana were also part of the organization's product line. Prosecutors estimate that Guzmán and his cartel have won more than 14 billion dollars.
"I am delivering more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anyone in the world," El Chapo said in 2015 during a conversation with actor Sean Penn, criticized for this interview by American politicians.
"El Chapo" sits in the high security prison in Manhattan
In addition, Mexicans being accused of arms trafficking and money laundering, 33 murders were ordered. But the real number may be much higher: two years ago, the prosecutor had reported a total of 3,000 murders. To simplify the process, the number of charges has been reduced.
Since the Mexican government delivered Guzmán to the United States in 2017, he has been sitting in the Lower Manhattan High Security Prison. Judge Brian Cogan still faces a major threat from "El Chapo" and his henchmen. Not without reason: the drug lord of Mexico's prisons has been able to burst twice. In 2001, he escaped in a car with dirty clothes, In 2015, he escaped through a tunnel in the shower. In addition, the judge of the Mexican criminal case against him 2016 shot while jogging.
The drug lord pleads "not guilty"
Such incidents want to avoid Americans. That's why the four-month mammoth trial is held behind closed doors in a Brooklyn District Court. On Monday, the selection of twelve jurors and their six replacement candidates is expected to open the debate. The jury remains anonymous and is escorted to court by security guards each day of the trial.
Guzmán's former business partners, former accomplices and their rival informants and trial witnesses are also protected. Many have already started a new life as part of the witness protection program with a new identity. Their statements are crucial to the process. Because the boss of the drug himself pleads "not guilty". His lawyer, Rob Heroy, lacks evidence in support of the charges. Nobody has photos of Guzman cocaine entering the United States and carrying "suitcases with money," he said before the trial began.
In case of conviction, Guzmán risks life imprisonment. The death penalty is prescribed after an agreement between Mexico and the United States. The life of the lord of drugs would then continue as in the last two years: in Manhattan, "El Chapo" is sitting in his cell of 15 square meters, without windows, in solitary confinement. He is only allowed to receive his three lawyers and two daughters – behind a thick window. There are exceptions when he walks on the treadmill every day for an hour. His wife, 29-year-old beauty queen Emma Coronel, does not receive any permission to visit.
He was considered "the number one public enemy" of the United States.
Guzmán looks in the war on drugs – which continues without him – to a hunting trophy. His worldwide reputation can be compared to that of drug baron Pablo Escobar, killed in 1993. He himself says that he entered the drug trade at the age of 15 years. For him, it was the only way "to buy and survive the food," he told Sean Penn. In Mexico, "El Chapo" attempted to create a modern Robin Hood image, helping the poor. In the United States, the Chicago Crime Commission has declared it "number one public enemy".
The lawyers believe that the Guzmán trial could become the most expensive in the history of the United States. Even with a lengthy imprisonment for "El Chapo", the war on drugs in Mexico is likely to continue: Guzmán's sons are, according to the US prosecutor, responsible for their father's drug situation.
with AFP / dpa
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