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
Interesting point to be made about Pedro Flores as he continues testifying this week against El Chapo: Flores was one of the only key witnesses who wasn’t caught by officials, but instead actually surrendered himself to the DEA and helped them in their probes against the drug kingpin.
He secretly recorded the phone calls with Chapo with the help of recording devices from Radio Shack, as the DEA was unwilling to help them in the effort.
VICE reporter Keegan Hamilton has uploaded the long-awaited phone call jurors heard Wednesday. Listen below:
That concludes today's coverage of the El Chapo trial in Brooklyn, New York. Be sure to check back in tomorrow as The Independent brings you the latest coming out of the courthouse.
Welcome back to The Independent’s live coverage of the El Chapo trial in New York.
The day kicked off with a surprise visit from Chapo’s twin daughters, who flew into New York with the drug kingpin’s 29-year-old wife to attend hearings this week and visit their father at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre.
“He was visibly crying, eyes bright red and dabbing at his eyes,” his lawyer Eduardo Balarezo told the Daily News. “He last saw them in August.”
Chapo focused on his children throughout the morning, ignoring a Colombian police officer who testified about seizing shipments of cocaine and grenades.
The twin girls wore matching outfits, with white tops tucked into blue skirts and closed-toe sandals. They each have bows in their hair and were well-behaved throughout.
Chapo was stopped by a court marshal when he began blowing kisses towards his daughters. He also stood up and waved as they entered the court. Reporters also moved aside so he could see his children as court went on.
The spectacle was likely to serve as a humanizing moment for jurors, who watched him looking towards his daughter with tears in his eyes.
The court is hearing from mostly law enforcement witnesses today, with two members of the Colombian National Police testifying before the jury today.
They found more than 400 bricks of cocaine and dozens of grenades in a plane parked in Ipiales, though it was not immediately clear how the contraband was tied to Chapo.
The judge presiding over the case has issued a new order over the controversy surrounding El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, who was alleged to have used a cellphone inside the courthouse before Mariel Colon — an attorney on the case — met privately with Chapo while holding another phone. She has denied the allegations.
The order says “Mr Lambert and Ms Colon’s conduct demonstrates not only a flagrant disregard of the Court’s rules, but also a grave misunderstanding of the need for order and the importance of the security measures imposed in this case.”
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