‘El Chapo’ makes first court appearance
NEW YORK — Accused drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán appeared in a U.S. court here for the first time Friday, pleading not guilty to the charges against him as prosecutors revealed in stunning detail how they intend to build and prove their case.
Guzmán, dressed in dark blue prison garb, said, “Yes, sir,” in Spanish as a judge asked questions about whether he understood the charges against him. He was not handcuffed and seemed subdued during the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes. His defense attorney entered his not-guilty plea.
The appearance came shortly after prosecutors, in a 56-page court filing, asked that a judge order that Guzmán be detained indefinitely, laying out a history of the drug trade in the Americas and tracing how Guzmán rose to power in it through unparalleled ruthlessness and efficiency.
For nearly 30 years, they alleged, Guzmán built himself an international, multibillion-dollar business, protecting it with a “veritable army, ready to war with competitors and anyone Guzman deemed to be a traitor.”
“These last few decades have shown that Guzmán’s influence knows no bounds,” prosecutors wrote.
Guzman is charged in federal courts in six states with an array of crimes, including leading a continuing criminal enterprise and importing and distributing narcotics.
He was extradited to the United States late Thursday night.
At a news conference Friday morning, U.S. Attorney Robert Capers called the occasion “a milestone in our pursuit of Chapo Guzmán.” He said Guzmán was facing a possible sentence of life in prison and that prosecutors are also seeking a $14 billion forfeiture.
As part of the extradition process, U.S. officials had to assure their Mexican counterparts that he could not be given the death penalty, Capers said.
Prosecutors wrote that they expect a large number of witnesses to testify against Guzmán, including dozens who have had faceto-face dealings with him and who can describe “every aspect of Guzman’s organization from its inception in the late 1980s through his building of an international empire.” They also said they expect testimony from Colombian cartel leaders and other suppliers, transporters and U.S.-based distributors.
A former member of law enforcement in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is expected to describe being paid hundreds of dollars a month to release members of Guzmán’s Sinaloa Cartel from custody, to remove road blocks from drug shipment routes and even to provide armed escorts for drug-laden trucks, prosecutors wrote.
“The caliber of witnesses is strong and great,” Capers said. He said that nearly 40 could testify at a trial that could last many weeks.
Prosecutors wrote that investigators also had recovered ledgers from Colombian cartel bosses and suppliers, detailing the financial agreements between Guzmán and suppliers for drug shipments and that they had gathered evidence from recorded conversations with Guzmán.