Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” found guilty on all counts

NEW YORK, FEB 13 — Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo” (The Shorty), was convicted guilty on all 10 criminal counts at a federal court in New York City’s Brooklyn borough on Tuesday.
The 61-year-old is expected to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole at his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled on June 25, according to prosecutors.

The drug kingpin was indicted on 10 charges including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, use of firearms, as well as manufacture and international distribution of cocaine, heroin and other drugs.
During the three-month trial, a local jury heard from more than 50 witnesses, many of whom were active members of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, the world’s largest drug-trafficking organization once led by Guzman.

The Sinaloa cartel has trafficked a large amount of heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and cocaine from Mexico into the United States over the past years, prosecutors said.
Guzman escaped from prison twice in Mexico before he was finally recaptured and extradited to the United States in 2017. Since then he has been held in solitary confinement in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan, which is considered to be one of the most secure places in the United States.
The Brooklyn Bridge, a city landmark as well as a vital traffic connection between Manhattan and Brooklyn, was closed each time when Guzman was transported under heavy security through the two boroughs, causing trouble for commuters. – XINHUA