El Chapo’s violent past precedes him
NYC steps up security in lead-up to trial against infamous drug lord
NEW YORK— He’s accused of having a hand in dozens of murders, of using his drug cartel to smuggle more than 200 tons of cocaine into the U.S., even pulling off running the massive operation from behind bars.
That’s when he wasn’t busy escaping from jail — twice.
The criminal pedigree of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who was extradited in 2017 to face U.S. drug conspiracy charges, has sparked security concerns at his upcoming New York City trial that at times have drawn as much attention as the case’s sensational allegations.
A look at those concerns for a trial that is starting Monday with jury selection: saying their identities need to be protected because their cooperation could put them in the crosshairs of a vengeful cartel.
According to court papers, some are being held in special jail units for their protection, while others are in witness protection programs.
The list of people who could turn up on the witness stand is long.
Two standout possibilities are twin brothers Pedro and Margarito Flores, former Chicagobased narcotics wholesalers who did business with Guzman before their arrest in 2008.
They agreed to co-operate and record phone conversations with Guzman about the size of shipments smuggled on boats and airplanes.
In one, a voice identified as Guzman’s asks, “How much can you get rid of in a month?”
The now imprisoned brothers paid a steep price for flipping: Prosecutors say in 2009 their father was murdered in Mexico. Fortifying the courthouse At pretrial hearings leading to the trial, heavily armed federal officers and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolled outside.
Anyone trying to attend the hearings was put through airport-style metal detectors.
The judge also agreed with prosecutors that the jury for the case should be kept anonymous, a measure typical in terrorism or mob cases.
No one’s hiding the ominous nature of the case from potential jurors.
Questions for them on an initial screening form ask if they’ve ever heard of “El Chapo” along with, “Have you, or has anyone close to you, ever felt fearful of or threatened by people who you thought were associated with drug crimes?”
Jurors also will be escorted to and from the courthouse by federal officers and sequestered from the public while inside.
As a reason, the judge cited prosecutors’ contention that Guzman’s cartel “employs ‘sicarios,’ or hit men, who carried out hundreds of acts of violence, including murders, assaults and kidnappings.” Keeping an eye on El Chapo After Guzman was brought to New York, authorities decided he should be housed in solitary confinement in a high-security wing of a federal jail in Manhattan that has held notorious terrorists and mobsters.
Central to that calculation was Guzman’s history of giving directions to his lieutenants from Mexican jails. The second time was via a 1.6 kilometre tunnel dug to the shower in his cell.
The logistical problem for his keepers: The case is being prosecuted across the East River in federal court in Brooklyn.
There’s now speculation that a special cell for Guzman has been set up in the bowels of the courthouse where he will spend the night after his days in court.
But no one is saying. For security reasons, of course.