El Chapo faces court

Cartel boss allegedly moved 154,626kg of cocaine, made $14b

THE New York trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman opened yesterday under huge security as one of the world’s most notorious criminals stands accused of spending a quarter of a century smuggling cocaine into the US.

The defendant, accused of running the massive Sinaloa drug cartel, observed the first day of jury selection dressed in a navy suit and white shirt with a wide disco-style collar, flashing a smile but otherwise impassive.

The Brooklyn federal trial, which is expected to last more than four months, will see Guzman face the US justice system after twice escaping prison in Mexico, once hidden in a laundry cart and then slipping down a tunnel that reached his prison shower.

US prosecutors have spent years piecing together a case that they hope will end with the 61-year-old spending the rest of his life in a maximumsecurity US prison.

Opening arguments are scheduled to start on November 13, after a week of jury selection, held behind closed doors under security reserved for the most dangerous defendants.

Twelve ordinary men and women will determine whether Guzman – the diminutive father of two whose nickname means “shorty” – is guilty of 11 trafficking, firearms and money laundering charges.

According to the indictment, the Sinaloa cartel, which Guzman is accused of leading from 1989 to 2014, became “the largest drug trafficking organisation in the world”.

Prosecutors say that from 1989 to 2014, the cartel smuggled 154,626kg of cocaine into the US, as well as heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana, raking in $14 billion.

Guzman pleads not guilty, but the Government has presented so much evidence – more than 300,000 pages and at least 117,000 recordings – that the defence complains they haven’t had time to review it all.