Drug lord ‘ El Chapo’ sentenced to life in prison
NEW YORK — The Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced Wednesday to life behind bars in a U. S. prison, a humbling end for a drug lord notorious for his ability to kill, bribe or tunnel his way out of trouble.
A federal judge in Brooklyn handed down the sentence, five months after Guzman’s conviction in an epic drug- trafficking case.
The 62- year- old drug lord, who had been protected in Mexico by an army of gangsters and an elaborate corruption operation, was brought to the U. S. to stand trial after he twice escaped from Mexican prisons.
Guzman, sporting his trademark mustache after being clean- shaven during his trial, spoke in court Wednesday for what may be the last time the public hears from him. Prior to his sentencing, he complained about the conditions of his confinement and told the judge he was denied a fair trial. He said U. S. District Judge Brian Cogan failed to thoroughly investigate claims of juror misconduct.
“My case was stained and you denied me a fair trial when the whole world was watching,” Guzman said in court through an interpreter. “When I was extradited to the United States, I expected to have a fair trial, but what happened was exactly the opposite.”
The sentence — life plus 30 years — was pre- ordained. The guilty verdict in February at Guzman’s 11- week trial triggered a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Judge Cogan also ordered Guzman to pay $ 12.6 billion in ill- gotten proceeds — money his drug- trafficking organization made distributing cocaine and other drugs around the United States.
The evidence showed that under Guzman’s orders, the Sinaloa cartel was responsible for smuggling mountains of cocaine and other drugs into the United States during his 25- year reign, prosecutors said in court papers re- capping the trial. They also said his “army of sicarios” was under orders to kidnap, torture and murder anyone who got in his way.
The defense argued he was framed by other traffickers who became government witnesses so they could get breaks in their own cases. They also claimed his trial was tainted by jurors improperly viewing media coverage of the highly publicized case.