BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Mexican drug lord nicknamed “El Chapo” will spend the rest of his life behind bars in a U.S. prison.
A federal judge handed down the life sentence in Brooklyn Wednesday.
Guzman was convicted on multiple counts in an industrial-sized drug smuggling operation, back in February.
A life sentence is mandatory under federal sentencing guidelines, but the Justice Department asked a judge to tack on an extra 30 years in prison citing the illegal use of firearms.
Guzman spoke briefly before he was sentenced today, saying he was denied a fair trial. His defense attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, agreed, saying the additional request of 30 years proved that the proceedings against his client were an apparent “show trial.” He said, “This case was simply an inquisition. It was a show trial, and how it ended is exactly perfect for that description.”
“The long road that led Chapo Guzman from the mountains of Sinaloa to the courthouse behind us today was paved with death, drugs and destruction. But it ended today with justice,” Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Brian Nenczkowski said. “If you pump hundreds of thousands of tons of cocaine or other drugs into our country, we will find you, we will extradite you, we will prosecute you; we will bring you to justice.”
U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said, “We cannot undo the violence, misery and devastation inflicted on countless individuals and communities by the drugs that Mr. Guzman and his organization inflicted on our country for more than two decades. But we can ensure that he spends every minute of every day of the rest of his life in a prison here in the United States.”
“El Chapo” controlled much of the illegal drug trade across the western hemisphere for almost 30 years.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.