NEW YORK – There will be no public displays of affection in court for the accused Mexican drug chief Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

Judge Brian Cogan of the US District Court on Thursday dismissed Guzman 's motion for leave to "salute and kiss" his wife before the court heard the statements. the trial of the infamous druglord will begin next week.

In a two-page decision, Cogan stated that he was "sympathetic to the request".

The judge said that he had taken note of a letter from Tuesday in which defense lawyer, Mariel Colón Miró, pointed out that Guzmán had been kept in isolation in a high security cell in Manhattan for nearly two years without any contact with his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro.

"This may be a brief hug in public audience with the grid that separates the audience room," Colón Miró wrote. "The whole process should not take more than a few seconds."

After meeting with the American service of the marshals, Cogan wrote that he was "forced to refuse" this request, which would go against the special administrative measures taken against him. Guzmán – an escaped prisoner twice in Mexico.

The judge said that he had already confirmed these measures – including the ban made to Guzmán "to have any physical contact with his wife" – because the restrictions "are tailored to the legitimate objectives of the government , to know: [the] accused of co-ordinating any prison escape or attack against individuals likely to cooperate with the government. "

Guzmán & # 39; is known around the world for having managed to break free from the tightest jams.

He allegedly ran the Sinaloa cartel, the largest drug trafficking operation in the world, even though he was behind bars in Mexico.

Guzmán was brought to the United States in January 2017 after the Mexican authorities allowed his extradition to stand trial here. The 61-year-old accused is charged with 17 counts, including drug smuggling, conspiracy to murder, money laundering and weapons offenses.

Prosecutors said the Sinaloa cartel, named in honor of Guzman's original country, had won billions of dollars by smuggling more than 200 tons of cocaine into the United States, laundering profits and then shipping the financial gains to Mexico.

Guzman's lawyers said the allegations were not credible because they were based on the false testimony of killers and drug traffickers.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kevin McCoy on Twitter: @kmccoynyc

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/11/08/joaquin-chapo-guzman-hug-wife-fitarian-court-trial-sinaloa-cartel/1930947002/