Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was sentenced to life in prison and an extra 30 years in jail. The court also ordered Guzman to forfeit $12.6 billion out of the wealth he amassed through drug dealing. The convicted criminal was the leader of the Mexican organised crime syndicate, the Sinaloa Cartel.
The cartel kingpin averted the law several times before this life sentence. Now the government can finally hold him accountable for his crimes. The court found El Chapo Guzman guilty on 10 federal charges. These include murder conspiracies, running a continuing criminal enterprise, and other drug-related charges.
Guzman spoke in the courtroom before the sentencing. He said incarceration was “physical, emotional and mental torture” and “the most inhumane situation I have lived in [his] entire life.”
One of Guzman’s defence attorneys said the trial was “not justice”. He said Guzman did not receive a fair trial after the judge denied his request for a hearing to investigate possible juror misconduct.
However, Brian A. Benczkowski, the assistant attorney general, called the sentencing “a measure of justice”. He also added that Guzman won’t be able to “pour poison over our borders.”
They will transport El Chapo to the Supermax federal facility in Colorado — a facility known to hold a good number of perpetrators of violent crimes.
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