*GUILTY* EL Chapo - Drug Cartel Chief, arrested Trafficking/conspiracy/firearms

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USA TODAY‏Verified account @USATODAY 5m5 minutes ago
A federal judge admonished a lawyer for Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán for making alarming claims he likely can't support with evidence at the trial.

Judge rips lawyer for drug lord 'El Chapo' as trial enters second day in New York

12:11 p.m. ET Nov. 14, 2018

"NEW YORK – A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a prosecution request to throw out the entire opening statement presented by a lawyer for Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán but admonished attorney Jeffrey Lichtman for making alarming claims he likely can't support with evidence at the trial.

Judge Brian Cogan issued the ruling Wednesday, the second day of the trial taking place under heavy security at Brooklyn federal court.

“Your opening statement handed out a promissory note that your case is not going to cash,” Cogan said. He said he would counsel jurors to concentrate on evidence when deliberating the case against the alleged ex-leader of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel. The trial is expected to last four months. ..."

Judge rips lawyer for drug lord 'El Chapo' as trial enters second day in New York
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The Independent‏Verified account @Independent 1m1 minute ago
El Chapo trial - live: Judge denies prosecutors' request to throw out Joaquín Guzman defence team opening statement

• Lucy Anna Gray 14 November 2018 17:23

Judge Cogan has not entirely thrown out the defence team's opening statement - as prosecutors requested - but did say Guzman's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman went "far afield of direct or circumstantial proof."

"Your opening statement handed out a promissory note that your case is not going to cash," the judge said, and instructed the jury to focus on the evidence.


14 November 2018 17:38
Mr Lichtman said yesterday in his opening statement: "This is a case that will require you to throw out much of what you were taught to believe in about the way governments work and how they behave, governments in South and Central American and Mexico and even the United States ... This is a case which will require you to open your minds to the possibility that government officials at the very highest level can be bribed, can conspire to commit horrible crimes - that American law enforcement agents can also be crooked."
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• Lucy Anna Gray 14 November 2018 17:40

A spokesman for Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto called the allegations "completely false and defamatory." Former President Felipe Calderon dismissed them as "absolutely false and reckless."


14 November 2018 18:06
Prosecutors have started presenting evidence to jurors. The jury members were shown a video tour of the tunnel "used to smuggle drugs" between Mexico and an Arizona warehouse.

Retired US Customs Agent Carlos Salazar testified as the first witness. Mr Salazar described raids carried out on both sides of the border in May 1990.

The tunnel was half the length of a football field and big enough that a 5-foot-8 inch man barely had to lower his head to walk through it. It had electric lights and a hydraulic system to lift away flooring that was covered by a pool table.


14 November 2018 18:07
Mr Lichtman - Guzman's defence lawyer - has resumed his opening statement, describing "the myth of El Chapo" as "very strong." He said law enforcement agents had his client autograph $100 bills for them upon his arrest.

"Mr. Guzman was somebody who enjoyed the publicity," Mr Lichtman said. "He enjoyed the notoriety."

The defence attorney also described the government's witnesses as liars seeking to mitigate their own jail sentences. "They're here because they want to get out of jail by any means necessary," Mr Lichtman said.


14 November 2018 18:26
The court is currently on a lunch break.
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
We're on lunch break at day two of the El Chapo trial. Here are some updates from court this morning: Big thing was Judge Cogan calling the opening statement from El Chapo's lawyer yesterday "irrelevant and misleading," and reminding the jury that openers are not evidence.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Money quote from Judge Cogan to El Chapo's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman: "Your opening statement handed out a lot of promissory notes that your case won't be able to cash"


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Judge Cogan reminded the jury that the "government's motivations are not on trial" and that the prosecution just has to prove El Chapo's guilt or innocence. Basically, he said the allegations about corruption in Mexico are irrelevant to the case.



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Lichtman gave the second half of his opening statement, mentioned the Sean Penn interview. Said it was "a crucial piece of evidence in the case." He said Chapo "was someone who for better or worse enjoyed the publicity, enjoyed the notoriety" and was trying to get his story out


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Lichtman also listed some cooperating witnesses, confirming their names publicly for the first time. They are:

-Miguel Angel Martinez, an ex-Mexican trafficker who he said had a 4-gram per day cocaine habit
-Alex Cifuentes, a Colombian narco who worked w/ the Medellin cartel


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Other witnesses:
-Jorge Cifuentes, another Colombian trafficker
-Damaso Lopez, El Chapo's former right-hand man who helped him escape from prison
-Cesar Gastellum, another El Chapo lieutenant who allegedly paid bribes to Honduran government


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Late morning involved testimony about a drug tunnel found in Arizona where a ton of cocaine was seized. It sounds sexy but it was actually quite boring.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
This afternoon we're expecting testimony from the first cooperating witness, possibly the brother of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. Stay tuned for updates.
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• Lucy Anna Gray 14 November 2018 18:42

The court may hear from brother of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada today, according to Vice reporter Keegan Hamilton.

Guzman's defence, Mr Lichtman, claims Zambada is another reputed drug trafficker in the cartel's leadership who remains on the loose in Mexico.


14 November 2018 18:42
This is Guzman's attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman , arriving today at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse.

(Credit: AFP)


14 November 2018 19:00
From childhood to trial, this is the life story of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman:

El Chapo: Who is the Mexican drug baron and Sinaloa cartel kingpin and how was he brought to justice?
Farmer's son Joaquin Guzman rose from rural poverty to succeed Pablo Escobar as world's wealthiest narcotics trafficker, leaving behind a trail of bloodshed

"...The Mexican drug baron founded the notorious Sinaloa cartel in 1989 and picked up where Colombia’s Pablo Escobar left off in dominating international narcotics trafficking, building up a vast fortune and leaving behind a bloody trail of vanquished enemies on both sides of the law...."

Who is the Mexican drug lord El Chapo and how was he finally brought to justice?
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Los Angeles Times‏Verified account @latimes 1h1 hour ago
A federal judge dealt a blow to the defense in the trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, ruling to sharply limit what attorneys can argue in a case his lawyer called “a straight frame-up” by the U.S. government.

Judge admonishes ‘El Chapo’ attorney for ‘hyperbolic’ claims about U.S. government

NOV 14, 2018 | 9:40 AM

"A federal judge dealt a blow to the defense in the trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman early Wednesday, ruling to sharply limit what attorneys can argue in a case his lawyer called “a straight frame-up” by the U.S. government.

“The government’s motives are not on trial here,” Judge Brian Cogan warned defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman. “Your opening statement handed out promissory notes it’s not going to be able to cash."

The prosecution was even more forceful.

“Mr. Lichtman’s calculated decision to disregard the Court’s order has prejudiced the government,” U.S. attorneys wrote in a late-night motion on Tuesday. “To attempt to rectify that prejudice, the Court should strike the statement and instruct the jury to disregard it.”

Though Cogan chided Lichtman for his “hyperbolic” claims about the American justice system, he declined federal prosecutors’ “radical” request to strike the defense attorney’s half-finished opening statement. Instead, he gave jurors a set of unusual and detailed instructions about how they should interpret what they had heard the previous day.

“There were some references in Mr. Lichtman’s opening to certain conduct of the government that might be considered outrageous,” he told the jury. “The conduct of the government is for me to decide, not you.”...

Guzman’s former beauty queen wife herself seemed to relish the limelight of court, appearing with an entourage of supporters in a blue velour blazer, tight black pants and black stilettos. Guzman looked at her between conferences with the court interpreter."

Judge admonishes ‘El Chapo’ attorney for ‘hyperbolic’ claims about U.S. government - Los Angeles Times
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton
Here is the motion by the government to strike the entire opening statement by El Chapo's lawyer because it was "rife with impropriety"

9 pages:

Government motion to strike Chapo lawyers opening statement

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 11h11 hours ago
The motion includes verbatim quotes from El Chapo's lawyer Jeffrey LIchtman, including some of his greatest hits yesterday. Strap in, these are wild.

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 11h11 hours ago

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 11h11 hours ago
Prosecutors arguing there's no evidence to back-up this up, that Lichtman is relying on hearsay, and that he's claiming "selective prosecution." They call it "an attempt to improperly sway the jury," ask the court to "strike the statement and instruct the jury to disregard it."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 11h11 hours ago
The defense has yet to respond in writing. Seems even if they lose this could backfire. The jury has already heard what Lichtman has to say, and a judge telling them to forget his claims of a vast conspiracy might not sit well.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 11h11 hours ago
We'll see what happens when the trial resumes today at 9:30 am. No electronics in the courtroom so updates probably not coming until the afternoon break.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 11h11 hours ago
Journalists started lining up at 3am this morning to get seats in the courtroom. @SeishinNY from @Televisa is maintaining a list to keep the line orderly. First arrivals were from @UnivisionNews.

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• Lucy Anna Gray 14 November 2018 19:14

Here is a court drawing of Assistant US Attorney Adam Feels during his opening statement. He is gesturing to Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman (second from right_ sitting next to his attorney Eduardo Balazero, at Brooklyn Federal Court.

(Credit: AP)


14 November 2018 20:00
When describing the tunnel, retired US Customs Agent Carlos Salazar said authorities used heavy tools to smash through concrete, only to realise later it all would have opened up on the Mexican side with the twist of a water valve.

"We didn't know the floor came up," he said commenting on the hidden hydraulics.


14 November 2018 20:52
A defence lawyer for Guzman has named some of the former close associates of the El Chapo -- including his alleged head of operations in Central America -- who will likely testify against him.

Defense lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said as part of his opening statement that he expected prosecutors to call Cesar Gastelum, Damaso Lopez and Miguel Angel Martinez, former drug traffickers who are now cooperating with authorities.

Gastelum moved tons of cocaine a week through Central America to Mexico for Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel, the US Treasury Department alleged in 2014. Gastelum was later arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States.


14 November 2018 20:22
An admitted former member of a Mexican drug cartel has told court that Guzman was one of the organisation's leaders.

Jesus Zambada named Guzman while testifying as a government witness.

Zambada testified Guzman partnered with his brother, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, to run the Sinaloa cartel. Zambada said before he was arrested in 2008, he served as a cartel lieutenant. He described himself as "the leader in Mexico City."


14 November 2018 20:23
Jesus Zambada also told court Guzman operated a warehouse in Mexico City where cocaine flown in from Colombia was stored.

Zambada claimed the cartel "controlled" an airport in Mexico City, and regularly bribed the government to give him protection.

Guzman's defence team says he is being framed.

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• Lucy Anna Gray 14 November 2018 20:59

This is the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse where Guzman's trial is taking place.

(Credit: Don Emmert / AFP)


14 November 2018 21:29
As well as smuggling drugs to the United States, the Sinaloa Cartel has played a major role in narco violence between rival gangs that has torn areas of Mexico apart and defied successive governments.

More than 200,000 people have been killed - many in cartel feuds - since the Mexican government sent troops in to take on the drug gangs in 2006.
Joaquín Guzman faces a 17 count indictment that covers nearly three decades of alleged criminal activities, many related to the Sinaloa Cartel. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 34m34 minutes ago
#BREAKING: The brother of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada has testified against El Chapo. Jesus “El Rey” Zambada was a leader of the Sinaloa cartel. He said he worked w/ his brother and Chapo to import tons of cocaine to the US.

 

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Atty. Peter Vincent‏ @AttyPVincent 44m44 minutes ago
Peter Vincent discussing the trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the world’s most powerful and feared narcotrafficke

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• Lucy Anna Gray 14 November 2018 22:10

That's all for our coverage on the Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman trial today. We'll be back tomorrow to bring you all the latest from New York.
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Alex Roland‏Verified account @AlexRolandC 23m23 minutes ago
Según el testigo Jesus Reynaldo #Zambada la droga que introducía a #EEUU el cartel de #Sinaloa liderado por el #ChapoGuzman provenia de #Colombia del narcotraficante Juan Carlos Abadía alias #Chupeta .

According to the witness Jesus Reynaldo #Zambada the drug that introduced to #EEUU the #Sinaloa cartel led by #ChapoGuzman came from #Colombia of drug trafficker Juan Carlos Abadía alias #Chupeta.

El Nuevo Diario‏Verified account @elnuevodiariord 2h2 hours ago
"El Rey" Zambada testifica contra el Chapo y lo señala como líder de Sinaloa

"El Rey" Zambada testifies against Chapo and points him out as leader of Sinaloa

El Universal‏Verified account @El_Universal_Mx 9m9 minutes ago
#JuiciodeElChapo El abogado que defiende a Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán es conocido por librar a algunos de los más importantes capos de la mafia estadounidense

#JuiciodeElChapo The lawyer who defends Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán is known for freeing some of the most important capos of the US mafia

Periódico La Voz‏ @periodico_lavoz 1m1 minute ago
#Mundo Jesús 'Rey' Zambada García, hermano de 'El Mayo', declara como testigo en el juicio de Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. https://goo.gl/Wptfsf

#Mundo Jesús 'Rey' Zambada García, brother of 'El Mayo', testifies as a witness in the trial of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán. Hermano de 'El Mayo Zambada' declara en juicio contra 'El Chapo' - Periódico La Voz

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[Niner]

*Trial continues (Day 3) (@ 9:30am ET) - NY – Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera (El Chapo) (~61) arrested & charged with smuggled 155 tons of cocaine into U.S. Sinaloa drug cartel chief. Guzmán faces 17-count indictment charging him with drug trafficking, murder conspiracy & money laundering spanning nearly three decades.
Prosecutors say Guzmán ran Mexico's Sinaloa cartel from 1989 to 2014. In that time, they allege the cartel brought cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine & marijuana into the U.S. Prosecutors also charged Guzmán in connection with the assassinations of thousands of competitors. Plead not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Trial expected to last several months. Also for trafficking, conspiracy & firearms in California, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Florida & New York.
11/13/18 Day 1: Opening statements in the trial against “El Chapo” were delayed this morning after a juror who’d previously expressed reservations during jury selection was replaced by an alternate. A juror cried last week when she was selected & today the judge excused her, fearing she could suffer from a breakdown; juror excused ‘over anxiety’. That has delayed proceedings. It was unclear how long it might take to select a replacement, with a new juror expected to come from the original pool of 1,000 potential panelists who failed to make the cut. Opening statements were begin. Trial continues on 11/14.
11/14/18 Day 2: Prosecutors have asked Judge Brian Cogan to strike the opening statement made by Joaquín Guzman's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, yesterday. Prosecutors claim - in a letter sent to the judge - that Lichtman tried to improperly sway the jury by arguing Guzman had been selectively targeted for prosecution, an argument the court had barred him from making. A federal judge rejected a prosecution request to throw out the entire opening statement presented by a lawyer for Mexican drug lord Guzmán but admonished attorney Lichtman for making alarming claims he likely can't support with evidence at the trial. Opening statements continued today. State witnesses: Retired US Customs Agent Carlos Salazar. Jesus "El Rey" Zambada, was a leader in Sinaloa drug cartel (brother of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada). Trial continues on 11/15.

 

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The brother of El Chapo’s partner just spilled the Sinaloa cartel’s secrets

Nov 14, 2018

"On the first day of alleged drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s trial in Brooklyn, jurors were told that the real mastermind behind the Sinaloa cartel was Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, another longtime kingpin who remains free in Mexico.

On the second day, El Mayo’s brother took the stand to testify against El Chapo. He told a different story about the relationship: “They were partners.”

El Mayo’s younger brother Jesus Zambada Garcia, nicknamed El Rey or The King, was the first of 16 cooperating witnesses expected to be called to testify in the trial, which kicked off Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn.

The case against El Chapo is expected to hinge on the testimony of cooperators who have cut deals with the government, and El Rey is in a unique position to divulge the Sinaloa cartel’s inner workings. He spoke for nearly three hours on Wednesday, laying out in painstaking detail how his brother El Mayo, El Chapo, and other leaders worked together to import tons of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico and smuggle it into the United States....

El Rey said the last time he spoke to El Chapo was 2008, when his brother was visiting in Mexico City. The testimony ended for the day with the prosecution still questioning the witness. He’s expected to return to the stand Thursday."

The brother of El Chapo’s partner just spilled the Sinaloa cartel’s secrets
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12h12 hours ago
Sharing some of the exhibits admitted into evidence today by the government, starting with pictures of the Sinaloa cartel's top leaders.
1. El Chapo
2. Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada
3. Juan José Esparragoza Moreno aka El Azul
4. Amado Carrillo Fuentes aka "The Lord of the Skies"

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12h12 hours ago
This is a graphic that shows how the price per kilo of cocaine increases as it moves north from Colombia through Mexico to US cities, according to witness El Rey Zambada.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12h12 hours ago
This is a graphic that shows how Sinaloa cartel leaders could earn up to $78 million each by investing in wholesale shipments of cocaine and smuggling the drugs to New York City.

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12h12 hours ago
Here's a bunch of cocaine that was seized at a border tunnel in Arizona in 1990.

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12h12 hours ago
Here's photos of the tunnel. It had a secret entrance hidden beneath a pool table. Turning that little water faucet knob triggered a hydraulic lift that revealed the entrance.

It ran for about 50 yards between a house in Agua Prieta, Mexico and a warehouse in Douglas, Arizona.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12h12 hours ago
Some video footage that shows the hidden entrance to the drug smuggling tunnel on the Mexican side of the border.

(video clip: Keegan Hamilton on Twitter )

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Hello from day 3 of the El Chapo trial. Slightly smaller group of media outside the courthouse today but earliest arrival was still 4:30 am. We’re expecting more testimony this morning from El Rey Zambada. Here’s where we left off yesterday:
The brother of El Chapo’s partner just spilled the Sinaloa cartel’s secrets

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Here’s the freezing huddled group of reporters who arrived early.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
As always, no electronics in the courtroom so expect updates on the El Chapo trial during our afternoon break.
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