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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Your support makes all the difference.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
Martinez was eventually extradited to the US, where he pleaded guilty to drug charges and began cooperating in other drug-smuggling cases to earn a reduced sentence, cash payments and entry into a witness protection programme, he testified.
He suggested he still fears Guzman and at the same time, feels forsaken by him.
"I never failed him. I never stole from him. I watched over his family," he said. "And the only thing I ever received from him was four attacks against me."
In response to the testimony 'El Chapo's' defence team claimed Martinez lied in his testimony because he hated Guzman.
"You lied because you hate the man right there, right?" said attorney William Purpura. "You lied to this jury because you hate the man."
Martinez answered "I hate Mr. Guzman, yes."
Here's a roundup of the key moments from this week's trial of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman:
We'll be back on Monday bringing you all the latest on this trial.
Good morning and welcome back! It’s day 10 of the historic El Chapo trial in Brooklyn, New York, where Colombian drug lord Chupeta is expected to provide a full day of testimony.
El Chapo’s defence attorneys have sought to separate Chupeta’s history as a kingpin to that of their client, attempting to block key evidence like ledgers, which reportedly may detail cocaine shipments the two were linked to.
Keep up to date with the trial here as we continue to bring you the latest.
Reporters discovered a symbol depicting a smile inside of a pointed shape on a paper taped to the door of the courthouse ahead of Monday’s testimonies.
This is not the first time media has discovered mysterious symbolism within and surrounding the courthouse, adding to the dramatic and almost surreal developments arising out of the trial.
The judge presiding over the El Chapo case in Brooklyn may announce a decision surrounding the use of a cellphone within the courthouse by the cartel kingpin’s wife who regularly attends the trial.
El Chapo’s defence attorneys formally denied any wrongdoing or misconduct after it was alleged she was provided a phone by one her husband’s lawyers.
The government has requested sanctions to be placed against his wife, writing in court filings attorneys observed her “in possession of a cellular phone.”
The Associated Press has published the following summary of events from inside the courtroom at the El Chapo trial in Brooklyn, New York, describing the scene as a “screenplay-worthy picture of the lawlessness and excesses during his rise to power as Mexico’s most infamous drug lord” :
Since the trial got underway on Nov. 13, witnesses have described how Guzman used tunnels dug under the border and fake jalapeno cans to smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States during the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Sinaloa cartel, sometimes referred to by insiders as “The Federation,” made hundreds of millions of dollars, most of it in U.S. currency collected in such volume it had to be stashed in safe houses while the gang figured out what to do with it. Guzman spent some of it on a private zoo, a diamond-encrusted pistol and paying off police and politicians.
That’s all according to a cast of characters who have taken the witness stand ranging from former cartel members to a Colombian drug kingpin with a freakish face that he chose to alter with plastic surgery in a failed attempt to stay under the radar.
Chupeta, who is expected to provide a full day of testimony Monday, is often referred to as the “man of a thousand faces”.
The drug lord has attempted to reconstruct his face in a failed bid to avoid the detection of law enforcement throughout his life.
Below is a before and after picture of his facial surgeries:
Colombian drug lord Chupeta described in detail during his Monday testimony how boats were used during the early 1990s in order to ship cocaine to Mexico.
The first delivery contained a whopping 10,000 kilos, and was sent to Acapulco reportedly for El Chapo and the Beltran-Levya brothers.
The drug lord is expected to continue providing testimony throughout the day.
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