A U.S. jury has reached a verdict in the drug-trafficking trial of Joaquín “El Chapo ” Guzmán , who rose to fame as Mexico ’s most feared drug kingpin.
Guzman
, 61, was charged with 10 criminal counts, including drug trafficking and engaging in a criminal enterprise as leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel . He was found guilty of all charges.
The 12 jurors began deliberating in federal court in Brooklyn on February 4. His lawyers spoke to the media outside the court;
Guzmán
was accused of trafficking tons of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine into the United States as leader of the cartel , named for his home state in northwestern Mexico.
Guzmán
escaped twice from maximum-security Mexican prisons before his final capture in January 2016. He was extradited to the United States a year later.
His defense has argued that Guzmán was set up as a “fall guy” by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada , a drug kingpin from Sinaloa who remains at large. Prosecutors have said Guzmán and Zambada were partners.
More than 50 witnesses testified during the 11-week trial, including 14 former associates of Guzmán who had agreed to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors.
The cooperators , most of whom had pleaded guilty to U.S. drug charges , offered detailed accounts of the Sinaloa Cartel’s inner workings and Guzmán ’s purported role as boss, describing his lavish lifestyle and penchant for murdering his enemies.
gm