El Chapo trial: Joaquín Guzman joked about arming infant daughter with AK47 in texts to wife, court hears
Trial of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman is expected to last four months
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The trial of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo“ Guzman continues in Brooklyn, New York, and is expected to last into early 2019.
This is the first time a major Mexican drug lord has been tried in a US court and pleaded not guilty. The trial has become increasingly tense in recent days, as Guzman’s attorney seeks to undermine testimonies from major drug traffickers.
Guzman, 61, faces a 17 count indictment that covers nearly three decades of alleged criminal activities. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Follow updates form the trial as they happened
Agencies contributed to this report
Hello and welcome to our coverage of the trial alleged drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman which is due to begin in New York in about 30 minutes.
Here is a primer for the trail, which is taking place amid "unprecedented" security measures.
Federal prosecutors say that as leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman, 61, directed massive shipments of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine bound for the United States. He faces 17 criminal counts and a potential life sentence if convicted.
Guzman has denied all the charges.
Arriving for court this morning, Guzman's lawyer, Eduardo Balarezo says it is up the jury to decide whether the US government has a strong case against his client.
A jury of seven women and five men will decide the fate of Guzman once the trail has run its course.
There were a number of issues with the jury selection for the trial. Some potential jurors said they feared for their lives, while one had a panic attack.
There has been intense interest in the trial, with the queue to get inside the courthouse for day one evidence of that.
Inside the courtroom is Emma Coronel Aispuro, Guzman's wife.
Last week, a judge denied a request for Guzman to hug his wife before opening arguments begin in the trial.
A lawyer for the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" says he's ready to defend his client and has nothing to prove.
Eduardo Balarezo spoke to journalists while entering the highly secured Brooklyn federal courthouse where Joaquin Guzman is being tried.
One of the jurors was excused shortly before opening statements were set to begin. The reason was unclear.
The lawyers and judge have been working to select a replacement. It's not known how long that will take.
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