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

[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 34m34 minutes ago
Prosecutors at the Chapo trial have finally released a redacted copy of their secret memo seeking to stop Jesús “El Rey” from testifying about bribing an unnamed Mexican president. It’s not very revealing.

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 33m33 minutes ago
The prosecutors claim that the defense’s “offer of proof is incorrect” but they don’t explain why. They also say that the government itself disclosed that Zambada paid bribes—but not to whom.
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 24m24 minutes ago
Miguel Angel Martinez done testifying. We'll have a new witness before lunch.

Chapo's lawyer spent the morning continuing to grill Martinez about inconsistencies in his prior testimony.

Prosecution's last question: "Mr. Martinez, have you lied to this jury?"

His answer: "No"
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 45m45 minutes ago
We're on lunch break at the Chapo trail. There were three more witnesses this morning, two Coast Guard officers and one DEA agent, testifying about huge cocaine shipments that were seized in the Pacific.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 43m43 minutes ago
The shipments: Sept. 16, 2004: A Cambodian-flagged fishing boat called the Lina Maria stopped 200 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Had a Colombian crew. 11,981 kilos of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 40m40 minutes ago
Sept. 23, 2004: A Belize-flagged fishing boat called the San Jose stopped off the coast of Ecuador. Had a Colombian crew. 10,480 kilos found in a hidden compartment beneath the bow. Captain of the ship had a loaded .38 revolver.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 39m39 minutes ago
March, 17, 2007: 15,157 kilos of cocaine seized from a boat called the Gatoon (unsure on spelling). We haven't heard the location or any other information about this bust yet.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 36m36 minutes ago
All of these shipments appear to be connected. The seized cocaine bricks were marked with the logo "XTRA" in red letters. Expecting the prosecution to link these to Chapo and his main Colombian supplier, a guy nicknamed Chupeta from the Norte del Valle cartel.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 31m31 minutes ago
Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía aka Chupeta or Lollipop is expected to be one of the cooperating witnesses in the case. He was "accused of ordering more than 300 murders and smuggling billions of dollars worth of cocaine" to the U.S. and Europe.

My boy Lollipop: raid ends sweet life of the Colombian drug lord
Voice-recognition software used to find trafficker with a penchant for plastic surgery who is said to have ordered 300 murders

My boy Lollipop: raid ends sweet life of the Colombian drug lord
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 29m29 minutes ago
Chupeta is also known as "the man of a thousand faces" because he underwent multiple plastic surgeries to chance his appearance. Here's a before and after photo via @InSightCrime, which also detailed his ability to corrupt the Colombian government. https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/drug-lords-diary-sheds-light-on-colombian-cartels-power-to-corrupt/ …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 26m26 minutes ago
Stay tuned for updates. DEA agent will still be on the stand when we come back from lunch. The prosecution just brought in several boxes. We think they contain kilos of cocaine that will be shown to the jury. After that, we expect another cooperating witness. Chupeta, perhaps?
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
#BREAKING @vicenews: Colombian drug lord Chupeta is currently testifying against El Chapo. Chupeta said he personally ordered 150 murders and shipped approximately 400,000 kilos of cocaine to the US.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Chupeta on his plastic surgery: "I had changes done to my face. I altered the physical appearance of my face by changing my jawbone, my cheekbones, my eyes, my mouth, my ears, my nose." Said he had 3-4 surgeries.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Chupeta's appearance is bizarre. Pronounced cheekbones and very smooth skin stretched tightly over his face. Cleft chin. Gray hair slicked back. He's also wearing blue cloth gloves.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Chupeta said he traveled to the US in the late '80s to personally oversee the sales of Colombian cocaine on the streets of New York. He visited LA, Miami, and NYC. His last time in the US was 1990 until his arrest and extradition.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Chupeta also testified that he personally killed at least one person in 2004 "with gunshots in the head and face." He has pled guilty to ordering murders in the US and is awaiting sentencing. He faces a minimum of 25 years.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Chupeta said he worked with the Sinaloa cartel for 17-18 years, supply cocaine to El Chapo, El Mayo, the Beltran-Leyva brothers, and others. More testimony coming now. Will update again after trial ends for the day at 4:30 pm ET.
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[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
In 1990, in the lobby of a Mexico City hotel, a meeting took place between two major drug traffickers. One was a newcomer on the scene, Chapo Guzman, brash and wearing a pistol. The other was a heavy-weight Colombian cocaine supplier, Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, aka Chupeta.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
The two men cut a deal. Chupeta would his coke to Chapo's secret airstrips in Mexico, and Chapo would then smuggle it across the border to Los Angeles. The terms of deal: Chupeta would keep 60% on the other side of the border. Chapo would keep 40% as payment for the crossing.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
This was more than Chupeta was used to paying. Typically, he allowed his Mexican smuggling partners to keep only 37%, he said. But Chapo made him a convincing pitch. "He said, 'I'm a lot faster,'" Chupeta recalled. "'Try me and you'll see.'"


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
Thus began a nearly 20 year partnership in which as much 400,000 kilos of Chupeta's coke was smuggled into the US by Chapo and his crew. After the first shipment, Chupeta was pleased. Chapo got 4000 k's from Los Mochis to LA in about a week. Other Mexican smugglers took a month.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
"It was super quick," Chupeta said. "It was the first time a Mexican trafficker delivered the cocaine to me that quickly."


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
Chupeta was an astonishing specimen. Before his arrest, he had 3 or 4 surgeries to alter his appearance. He now looks like something from an old Dick Tracy comic: huge forehead, shovel-blade cheekbones, a chin like a fist.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
He testified in a parka and a pair of winter gloves due to some unidentified medical condition. He could not mention cocaine without referring to it proudly as "my cocaine."


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
He was intense & detail-oriented, saying he debriefed his pilots after every flight they took and personally visited his coke labs inspecting them for quality control. He was almost arrogant on the stand, often stopping after an answer to square his shoulders and purse his lips.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2h2 hours ago
He was also a prodigious killer, admitting to having ordered the deaths of at least 150 people. And he was rich. The Colombians seized $1 billion from him after his arrest in Brazil in 2007 (in the company of his bodybuilder lover.) His nickname means, yes, Sucker or Lollipop.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
For all that the jury at the El Chapo trial has heard about narco-corruption in Mexico, there is more they haven't heard--and likely never will.

El Chapo Trial Has Yet to Reveal Mexico’s Dark Secrets of Narco-Corruption


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
Chupeta's account today offered a fascinating glimpse into Chapo's skills. Not only was Chapo's covert airstrip well-lighted and easy to land at, not only did his people quickly refuel the planes for their return flight to Colombia--they also fed Chupeta's pilots.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
And...the Mexican federal police were on hand, Chupeta said--not just protecting the 3 a.m. transaction, but actually helping to unload the coke from the planes.
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Chupeta testimony just ended. He said he met in person with El Chapo around 10 times, first time was in the lobby of a hotel in Mexico City in 1990 to discuss arrangements for shipping planeloads of cocaine through Mexico to the US.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Chupeta said El Chapo was going to charge him more than other Mexican traffickers for doing business: "He said 'I'm a lot faster. Try me and you'll see. And your planes and your cocaine and pilots ware going to be secure, because I have very good arrangements.'"


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Chupeta on Chapo's special "arrangements": "When the planes arrive to the Mexican airstrips, they were being protected by the federal police. They were receiving the planes and my cocaine, and on many occasions they were doing the transportation themselves."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Chupeta said Chapo charged a 40% rate on cocaine shipments, which was paid in product. If they shipped 1,000 kilos, Chapo would get to keep 400 for himself and deliver the rest to Chupeta's people in the US. Other traffickers at the time were charging a 37% rate per shipment.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Chupeta said Chapo's higher rate was worth it. His first shipment made it from Sinaloa to US in record time: "It was super quick. I recall it was less than a week. That was the first time one of the Mexican traffickers delivered the cocaine to me that quickly."
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
#BREAKING @vicenews: Prosecutors ask judge to "admonish" El Chapo's lawyers for tweeting about the trial, claim several recent tweets by @balarezolaw "create a substantial risk that they will interfere with a fair trial." https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5332719-Government-motion-about-tweets-by-El-Chapo-s.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted BALAREZO LAW

Prosecutors claim this particular tweet by @balarezolaw was "designed to place fear in the jury and both cast aspersions on, and cause fear in, the government’s witnesses."

BALAREZO LAW‏ @balarezolaw
Ramon Ayala - Un Puño de Tierra https://youtu.be/-fCV6FGi5FE via @YouTube

6:34 PM - 28 Nov 2018

Ramon Ayala - Un Puño de Tierra

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
That tweet links to the song "Puño de Tierra," which witness Miguel Angel Martinez said El Chapo had a band play over and over before an assassin threw grenades into Martinez's prison cell in Mexico City.



Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 2h2 hours ago
Reminder: The Chapo jury, like all juries, is specifically instructed before every break, at every lunchtime, and at the end of every trial day to avoid all media/social media coverage of the case or anyone involved in it.


Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 2h2 hours ago
New on stand in "El Chapo" Guzman trial: Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, aka Chupeta, a former leader of Colombia's North Valley Cartel. Chupeta said Chapo shipped cocaine for him, charged more than others but said, "I'm a lot faster. Try me and you'll see."

Drug Lord’s Diary Sheds Light on Colombian Cartel’s Power to Corrupt

JULY 19, 2012

"Documents, including a diary, which reportedly belonged to a Colombian drug lord offer a glimpse into the corruptive power of the now-defunct Norte del Valle Cartel, casting suspicion on top officials in Colombia and Venezuela.

Colombian radio station RCN broke the story, reporting that since March 2009 the Attorney General’s Office has had the diary of extradited drug trafficker Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, alias “Chupeta,” in its possession. The vice admiral of the navy at the time allegedly obtained the diary and handed it over to prosecutors, along with several other documents that apparently shed light on the operations of the once-mighty Norte del Valle Cartel...."

Drug Lord's Diary Sheds Light on Colombian Cartel's Power to Corrupt

( Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, the head of Colombia's largest cocaine cartel, arrives at a federal police station after his arrest in Sao Paulo. Photograph: Evelson de Freitas/AP)


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 45m45 minutes ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted VICE News

Want to ask me about the podcast or El Chapo’s trial? Here’s your chance. I’m doing a @reddit AMA tomorrow at 1pm ET.
---
VICE News‏Verified account @vicenews
TOMORROW. @keegan_hamilton will join @Reddit for an AMA on the trial of El Chapo and our podcast Chapo: Kingpin On Trial. Join us at 1 PM EDT here http://bit.ly/2QqvuSh and listen to the latest episode now on @Spotify https://spoti.fi/2Qr11Dw

1:15 PM - 29 Nov 2018

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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2m2 minutes ago
Here are the photos of Chupeta that were admitted into evidence today. First was taken in 1998, prior to plastic surgery. Second was taken after his arrest in Brazil in 2007. His appearance has changed even since then — he has lost weight and his hair is gray.

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[YESorNO]

Former cartel member says El Chapo tried to kill him while in prison

Nov 29, 2018

"Cross-examination began for the prosecution's second star witness, Miguel Martinez, in week 3 of the El Chapo trial. Martinez told the jury Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman ordered four hits on him in prison. Legal analyst Rikki Klieman joined CBSN to discuss the latest."

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[YESorNO]

Alleged kingpin 'El Chapo' Guzman once made Forbes billionaires list. He now dons Kmart suits at his trial

November 29, 2018

"New York (CNN)The late mobster John Gotti, the self-styled "Dapper Don," was a natty dresser known for his custom-tailored, double breasted suits, silk ties with matching pocket squares and handmade shoes

But alleged drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, whose financial success once landed him on a Forbes magazine billionaires list, has gone decidedly more downscale during his federal trial in New York, according to one of his attorneys.
While Guzman's wealth could have afforded him the finest suits, the diminutive defendant from a small mountain town in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa always seemed to prefer loud silk shirts with jeans or dark slacks, according to photographs over the years.

At his high-profile trial in room 8D at US District Court in Brooklyn, Guzman has been donning off-the-rack suits from Kmart.

"We bring them. We get them cleaned," defense attorney Eduardo Balarezo said of the five or so budget retailer suits picked out by members of Guzman's legal team. "Enough clothes that he can rotate."..."

Alleged kingpin 'El Chapo' Guzman was once on Forbes billionaires - CNN
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Ex-Colombia drug lord 'Chupeta' testifies against alleged Mexican counterpart 'El Chapo'

Nov. 29, 2018

"NEW YORK — It may have been one of the rare times when two of the world's top alleged drug lords were in the same room without a mega-kilo narcotics deal going down.

Juan Carlos Ramírez-Abadía a former leader of Colombia's Norte Valle cocaine cartel, testified as a prosecution witness Thursday against Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, an alleged leader of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel.

Based on the testimony, it may have been a memory lane afternoon for Chupeta — the Ramirez-Abadia nickname that means "lollipop" — and El Chapo, which means "shorty."

Ramírez-Abadía testified that his organization used Guzmán's operation to smuggle tons of Colombian cocaine through Mexico and into the U.S...."

Ex-Colombia drug lord 'Chupeta' testifies against alleged Mexican counterpart 'El Chapo'
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[YESorNO]

Former drug traffickers deliver chilling testimony in the trial of 'El Chapo'

NOV 29, 2018

"... Thursday with the testimony of another former drug trafficker, Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, a Colombian whose North Valley Cartel was a major supplier to Guzman’s organization.

Jurors stared in wonder as an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration unboxed almost 10 kilograms of cocaine — enough to fill a large trash bag — and placed it on a table in front of them.

Then Ramirez — better known as Chupeta, or “lollipop” — took the stand. He looked like a comic book villain, with a cleft chin, leonine cheekbones and a grossly distended jawline that was the result of multiple plastic surgeries aimed at concealing his identity when he was a fugitive in Brazil.

“I altered the physical appearance of my face by changing my jawbones, my cheekbones, my eyes, mouth and ears,” he testified.

He also explained to the jury that he had ordered the assassinations of roughly 150 people and personally shot one in the face in 2004.

By comparison, Martinez came across as a mild-mannered uncle.

Since he got out of prison 11 years ago, he has lived in the United States as a professional witness, his endless appearances in courts across the country a condition of the visa he hopes to receive.

The so-called S visa is a rare but powerful tool used by the government to retain witnesses who agree to provide information against a criminal enterprise or terrorist organization. Securing one would allow Martinez to remain in the United States, where he is currently in witness protection. But at the end of four days of damning testimony, that hope dangled just out of reach.

“Up to this date, have you received your S visa?” defense attorney William Purpura asked.

“No,” the witness replied...."

Former drug traffickers deliver chilling testimony in the trial of 'El Chapo'
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Drug Lord Who Changed His Face Testifies Against 'El Chapo'

"...Asked about his distorted facial features, Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia explained that he had undergone at least three surgeries that altered "my jawbone, my cheekbones, my eyes, my mouth, my ears, my nose."...

After Ramirez Abadia relocated to Brazil and redid his face, he looked so different that drug investigators were forced to use voice recognition technology to make the positive identification needed for a search warrant, his lawyer said after his capture. He was found in a luxurious home with a gym, sauna, swimming pool and nearly $1 million in stashed cash."

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...mbian-drug-kingpin-testifies-against-el-chapo
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[YESorNO]

"El Chapo" Guzman's defense attorneys try to paint lieutenant-turned-witness as having vendetta

November 29, 2018

"Jurors in Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman listened Wednesday to the third day of testimony from witness Miguel Angel Martinez, Guzman's former cartel lieutenant who defense attorneys tried to paint as a man with a vendetta against Guzman. Martinez, known as "El Gordo," blamed Guzman for four attempts on his life while he was serving time in a Mexican jail.

The tensest moment, even from the overflow courtroom, came when Guzman's defense team asked Martinez whether he had grown to hate his former boss, who could spend the rest of his life inside a U.S. federal prison.

"You lied because you hate the man right there, right?" boomed defense attorney William Purpura. "You lied to this jury because you hate the man."

Martinez answered "I hate Mr. Guzman, yes."..."

"El Chapo" Guzman's defense attorneys try to paint lieutenant-turned-witness as having vendetta
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[Niner]

Friday, Nov. 30th:
*Trial continues (Day 10) (@ 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. Plead not guilty to all charges. No bail.
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.
Skipping over Day 1 thru 8
11/29/18 Day 9: State witnesses: Miguel Ángel Martinez aka El Gordo. Two Coast Guard officers. DEA agent. Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía aka Chupeta (former leader of Colombia Norte Valle cartel).

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13h13 hours ago
El Chapo's lawyer @balarezolaw responds to request by prosecutors for judge to formally "admonish" him for his tweets. He calls the allegations "baseless" and "pathetic." Also gives a tweet-by-tweet explanation for his actions. Read the whole thing: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5332856-El-Chapo-s-lawyer-response-to-prosecutors-about.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13h13 hours ago
Balarezo also notes that by filing this motion about his tweets, the government is "assuring media coverage and widespread circulation." Hard to argue with that.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 13h13 hours ago
Balarezo also quotes at length from this post @Borderland_Beat. Here's an excerpt. Worth reading. http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2018/11/el-chapo-case-prosecution-not-liking.html …

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[YESorNO]

• Kristin Hugo 29 November 2018 19:59

A former top lieutenant of Mr Guzmán has testified against the alleged drug kingpin, describing his rise to power. During two days of questioning, Miguel Ángel Martínez Martínez described Mr Guzmán as an ambitious smuggler who started small but ended up becoming the alleged head of the Sinaloa cartel.

Among the witnesses at the El Chapo trial, Martínez was one of those most close to Mr Guzmán during his alleged reign. Martínez provided considerable details about El Chapo's life and alleged experiences in drug wars and revolutionizing cocaine distribution.

Martínez was protected by high security, as he is in witness protection. Courtroom sketch artists were barred from drawing him.


29 November 2018 20:21
During the trial, witnesses have revealed the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the alleged kingpin.

According to witnesses, Mr Guzman had four private jets, kept zoo animals, commissioned a folk song costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and gave his workers diamond watches. He allegedly flew piles of cash from country to country and kept stockpiles in his homes.

"He had houses at every single beach," said Miguel Ángel Martínez Martínez, his former top lieutenant, according to The New York Times. "He had a ranch in every single state.”


29 November 2018 20:43
Mr Guzman's lawyers have accused a prosecution witness of lying because he "hates" Mr Guzmán, CBS reports.

Mr Martínez, a star witness and a former alleged top lieutenant to Mr Guzmán, has testified extensively on Mr Guzmán's alleged rise to power, lavish lifestyle, methods of transporting narcotics, and many successful and attempted murders.

In response, the defense suggested that Mr Martínez's accusations are lies "because you hate the man right there, right?"

Through a translator, Mr Martínez said "I hate Mr Guzmán, yes."


29 November 2018 20:56
Convicted Columbian drug trafficker Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, also known as El Chupeta, is currently testifying against Mr Guzmán, VICE News journalist Keegan Hamilton reports. Mr Abadía confessed to killing at least one person and working with Mr Guzmán for years.
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
The El Chapo trial is off today and will resume Monday. In the meantime, listen to our @vicenews podcast. The latest episode covers what happened to a rural community in Sinaloa when the Mexican military came hunting for a fugitive drug lord. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NtWvOzKo5WDhhKC4Ukz4m …


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
The town we visit in this episode is called Tameapa. It's in the mountains of Sinaloa, near El Chapo's hometown. It's beautiful there.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
A family in Tameapa welcomed us into their home and told us about the trouble recently in their town. This is the family dog, Roly, getting some pets from podcast producer @kfosborn.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
We'll get to the rest of the story in a moment. But first let's take a second to appreciate this adorable puppy.

(video clip: Keegan Hamilton on Twitter )


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Anyway, Tameapa is part of the "Golden Triangle" the region of Mexico known for producing marijuana and opium poppies. Here's a story about a huge drug bust there recently. The photo shows opium gum, which gets processed into heroin. https://www.debate.com.mx/sinaloa/militares-decomisan-goma-de-opio-narcolaboratorio-drogas-en-badiraguato-20180713-0052.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Nearly all of the leaders of the Sinaloa cartel are from the area around Tameapa. It's the birthplace of Rafael Caro Quintero, one of the original Mexican drug kingpins. The US is offering a $20 million reward for his capture. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/us/politics/fbi-most-wanted-caro-quintero-dea.html …

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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
We were told that when the Mexican military came looking for Caro-Quintero in Tameapa, they detained a teenage boy who was suspected of having information about his whereabouts. People said he was beaten. Here's a story about it from the day it happened. https://www.debate.com.mx/policiacas/tameapa-rafael-caro-quintero-juan-carlos-busqueda--20180512-0117.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
The abduction and alleged torture sparked outrage in Tameapa. The townspeople told us the kid had nothing to do with Caro Quintero. They banded together and demanded the kid be released. He was freed after about 12 hours.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 59m59 minutes ago
The townspeople in Tameapa had respect for Rafael Caro Quintero, because he left them alone. He also paid for paved roads and other services the government wouldn’t provide. One guy we spoke with had a hat with Caro Quintero’s face on it.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 54m54 minutes ago
The family we met were musicians. They got out guitars and played us a famous corrido about Caro Quintero.

(video clip: Keegan Hamilton on Twitter )


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 50m50 minutes ago
It’s not hard to understand why the Mexican military can’t catch Caro Quintero while he’s hiding out in the mountains. Same goes for El Mayo and other Sinaloa kingpins. They are seen as heroes — the government is an invading force.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 47m47 minutes ago
There are lots of poppy farmers in Tameapa but they don’t necessarily want to grow drugs. They’re just growing the only crop that allows them to make a living and feed their families.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 44m44 minutes ago
We spoke to farmers in Tameapa who used to grow marijuana. Legalization in the US basically put them out of business. They said demand for Mexican weed dried up almost overnight. That’s when they switched to poppy.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 40m40 minutes ago
Now the price of opium gum is plummeting. The farmers in Tameapa told us it’s because the cartels are switching to production of synthetic opioids like fentanyl.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 37m37 minutes ago
The farmers said the government tried to get them to switch crops from poppies to avocados. It didn’t work. They got no help with irrigation and the avocado trees died.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 33m33 minutes ago
All this is to say the drug war is complicated. The people growing drugs aren’t necessarily bad and the guys trying to capture drug kingpins aren’t necessarily good. The arrival of drugs like fentanyl has a ripple effect and unintended consequences.
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 34m34 minutes ago
Important to remember that the Mexican military was also accused of abuses in Sinaloa while they were hunting for El Chapo. This piece by @longdrivesouth shows what happened.

Displaced in Sinaloa: The Hunt For 'El Chapo'

"As the Mexican Navy continues the hunt for fugitive Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, hundreds of people have been forced to flee the Golden Triangle, the Sinaloa Cartel’s stronghold in Northern Mexico. While refugees claim they fled helicopter gunfire, the navy denies their operation to hunt the most wanted drug lord are out of control. VICE News heads to the mountainous region of Sinaloa to meet the refugees of the hunt for 'El Chapo.' "

Watch "Inside El Chapo's Escape Tunnel" - http://bit.ly/1IsjiXW

Read "The Brother of One of Mexico's Most Wanted Drug Lords Has Been Caught” - http://bit.ly/1IbebvD

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
Also note that the people in Tameapa told us that agents from the DEA and Interpol were present during the operations to capture Caro Quintero. Both agencies denied involvement when we asked them about it.



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 29m29 minutes ago
Our visit to Tameapa is covered in greater detail in the podcast. Listen to the whole episode for free @spotify:

EP 5: The Fugitive


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 27m27 minutes ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted VICE News

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VICE News‏Verified account @vicenews
@keegan_hamilton will join @Reddit for an AMA on the trial of El Chapo and our podcast Chapo: Kingpin On Trial. Join us at 1 PM EDT here http://bit.ly/2QqvuSh and listen to the latest episode now on @Spotify https://spoti.fi/2Qr11Dw

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[YESorNO]

• Chris Stevenson 30 November 2018 14:50

Good Morning and welcome to our round-up of the end of another week in the El Chapo trial.

Former Colombian drug lord, Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, testified on Thursday about his lucrative drug-trafficking alliance with ‘El Chapo’. Ramirez Abadia is known for have several plastic surgery operations on his face intended to “hide his identity”.

He told the jury in New York that he bribed authorities in Colombia to destroy any criminal records naming him to better stay ahead of the law while he was overseeing the Norte del Valle cartel.


30 November 2018 14:50
In a 20-year career, Ramirez Abadia estimated, he smuggled 400,000 kilos, ordered 150 killings and amassed a fortune so large that he forfeited $1 billion after his arrest in Brazil in 2007.


30 November 2018 14:36
When asked about his distorted facial features in court, witness Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia explained he had undergone at least three surgeries that altered "my jawbone, my cheekbones, my eyes, my mouth, my ears, my nose."


30 November 2018 14:50
Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia was extradited to the US, where he pleaded guilty to murder and drug charges and agreed to become a government witness in major narcotics prosecutions like Joaquin Guzman’s.

He was the third former drug dealer to testify so far at the trial in federal court in Brooklyn, where Guzman has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and all other charges.

In court, Ramirez Abadia described a meeting at a hotel in Mexico in the early 1990s where he allegedly struck a deal with Guzman. As part of the terms the Colombian cartel would fly his cocaine into Mexico for the Sinaloa cartel to smuggle it into Los Angeles and New York City, the witness said.


30 November 2018 14:38
When Guzman asked for the purest product possible, Ramirez Abadia told the court was happy to oblige because he wanted "a reputation for myself for my cocaine being so good," he said.
Guzman also demanded a bigger cut of the proceeds than other Mexican kingpins because his network was so efficient at getting it across the border.
"I'm a lot faster. You'll see," the witness recalled Guzman bragging.


30 November 2018 14:39
After Ramirez Abadia relocated to Brazil and redid his face, he looked so different that drug investigators were forced to use voice recognition technology to make the positive identification needed for a search warrant, his lawyer said after his capture. He was found in a luxurious home with a gym, sauna, swimming pool and nearly $1 million in stashed cash, according to federal officials.
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