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

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
In this episode we also visit Jardines del Humaya, a cemetery in Culiacán where many of Mexico's most famous narcos are buried.

They build lavish tombs for themselves that cost $500,000 or more. Some have air-conditioning. This one is a replica of the Taj Mahal.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
More incredible tombs from Jardines del Humaya. As you can see, there are different styles. Some are modernist, others go for the classic stained-glass aesthetic. The cemetery is huge, there are dozens and dozens of these things.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Many tombs in Jardines del Humaya don't have names, so you can't tell who is buried there. This miniature cathedral is said to belong to Sinaloa cartel leader El Azul, though some suspect that he faked his death and is still alive.

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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Other graves in Jardines del Humaya are humble or have fallen into disrepair. The narco caste system is evident even in death.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
There's a great documentary about Jardines del Humaya called "El Velador (The Night Watchman)." Highly recommended if you want to learn more about this fascinating place. https://www.pbs.org/pov/elvelador/

El Velador (The Night Watchman) Trailer

" ...From dusk to dawn, El Velador (The Night Watchman) accompanies Martin, a guard who watches over the extravagant mausoleums of some of Mexico's most notorious drug lords. In the labyrinth of the cemetery, this film about violence without violence reminds us that, amid the turmoil of a drug war that has claimed more than 50,000 lives, ordinary existence persists in Mexico and quietly defies the dead. ..."

El Velador (The Night Watchman) Trailer | El Velador (The Night Watchman) | POV | PBS


Full Film:

El Velador Documental (The Night Watchman)

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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Here's our crew walking through Jardines del Humaya. @MAVEGAO told us a grisly story about how after Arturo Beltrán Leyva was buried here, somebody left a severed head outside of his tomb. Details on that incident in Spanish: https://www.elmundo.es/america/2010/01/18/mexico/1263845512.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Listen to the podcast for more. The new episode is our best one yet.

And stay tuned for updates from El Chapo's trial today. This morning will start with cross-examination of yesterday's witness Tirso Martinez.

Chapo: Kingpin on Trial
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4m4 minutes ago
Super boring so far today. Chapo's lawyer questioning Tirso about why he didn't identify Chapo during his initial interviews with US law enforcement. Suggesting he only put Chapo as a leader of the cartel when it was clear prosecutors wanted to use him as a witness in the trial.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2m2 minutes ago
There was one notable moment. Tirso admitted that nearly all of his knowledge about Chapo came from a guy named Alfredo Vasquez, one of El Chapo's lieutenants. We've seen two photos of Vasquez, one young and one old.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 42m42 minutes ago
Tirso had only been shown the younger photo of Vasquez. Purpura asked him to ID the older photo. T Tirso hesitated and said, "I feel like I've seen that person before." Purpura responded: "Let me introduce you to Alfredo Vasquez."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 41m41 minutes ago
Otherwise, nothing of note so far today. We heard about Tirso's poor childhood, how he worked his way up in the drug trade, and his cocaine habit. Lots of detailed questions about who invested in what load. Even the US Marshals who watch Chapo in the courtroom were nodding off.
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
More cross-examination of Tirso and then re-direct questioning coming up before the lunch break. Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, here's an excerpt from the new episode of the podcast.

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/41nsmKDd4ImGjyX0QIl8Up …

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 42m42 minutes ago
Tirso Martinez done as a witness. His last answer on cross-examination was admitting that his memories of Chapo improved after meetings w/ prosecutors: "I started telling them because I started remembering things and my memory was refreshed as we had more meetings."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 38m38 minutes ago
We got more details of soccer teams owned by Martinez aka El Futbolista. They included:

-Los Venados de Yucatan, bought for ~$600-700K

-La Piedad, bought for $2.2M, sold in 2004 for $10M

Mexican soccer federation bought him out in 2006 for $10M after discovering his identity.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 35m35 minutes ago
Funny moment:

El Chapo's lawyer Bill Purpura asked Tirso about his admission yesterday that he lost over $1 million gambling on cockfights.

When Tirso said that was true, Purpura responded, "You still came out better than the roosters, right?"

Prosecutors: "Objection!"


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 31m31 minutes ago
Purpura also had some fun w/ the $2 million in forfeiture that Tirso owes. Tirso hasn't paid the money. His plea agreement has specific instructions about where to send the payment. Purpura asked sarcastically, "Will you tell the government that the check is in the mail?"


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
Tirso said he has properties in Mexico worth nearly $3 million that he's trying to sell to pay his forfeiture. He said blew all of his drug money on cars, airplane, horses, parties, women, and cockfights. He once bet $100K on a single rooster.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 19m19 minutes ago
We're expecting a few law enforcement witnesses this afternoon, followed by another cooperator.
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
#BREAKING @vicenews: Prosecutors just admitted several clips from El Chapo's interview with @RollingStone as evidence in his trial.

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
This is the interview that El Chapo taped for Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo.

Prosecutors played five clips from the interview for the jury.

First clip starts at 1:28 of this video, when he's asked, "How did you get involved in the drug business?"

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Clip 2 played in court today starts at 5:15, when Chapo is asked about growing and expanding his drug business in prison.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
FBI witness who talked about downloading the Rolling Stone / El Chapo videos getting cross-examined now. Will post more updates momentarily.
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[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 8m8 minutes ago
Today the Chapo trial detoured into the fascinating life of the Colombian trafficker, Jorge Cifuentes. Born in Medellin, Jorge was from a sprawling family of drug dealers. He was the 8th of 9 brothers, most in the business, Given his family position he was nicknamed El Penultimo.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 12m12 minutes ago
Jorge's career started in 1988 when he worked for the North Valley cartel overseeing plane loads of Colombian cocaine landing in Mexico. He made sure the covert airstrips were right the size, that the planes had enough fuel and that the pilots were properly fed.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 11m11 minutes ago
He also had another responsibility: to "make sure the Mexicans weren't drunk," he said.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 8m8 minutes ago
In his early years he was wildly successful, earning $300 million shipping coke w/a partner, Umberto Ojeda. Jorge was smart with his profits, plowing it into legit businesses: a construction firm, a cattle ranch, a mining operation, even what he called "a climate change project."


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 6m6 minutes ago
Jorge also spent his money buying arms for Colombian paramilitaries, particularly the AUC which was fighting the FARC. His reason? The FARC, he said, had tried to kill his mother and kidnap his father. From 1998-2003, Jorge bought the AUC 5,000 AK47s and 5 million rounds of ammo.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 3m3 minutes ago
After that, he decided to go back to dealing drugs & returned to Mexico. He'd left some tuna boats w/the widow of his partner, Laura Avila. She was something of a cartel muse. After her Humberto, her husband, was killed, she hooked up w/Damaso Lopez, one of Chapo's guys.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 4m4 minutes ago
Laura had given the tuna boats to Chapo--she'd also given him an ostrich farm (why not?)--& in 2002, Jorge set up a meeting w/Chapo to get the boats back. It was an auspicious time for an appointment. Chapo was having a party to celebrate the anniversary of his 1st prison escape.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 2m2 minutes ago
So Jorge went to the Lucerna Hotel in Culiacan where Damaso picked him up at an airstrip near some corn fields. They hopped into a Cessna 206 and flew for 30 or 45 mins into the Sierra Madres.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 37m37 minutes ago
The plane approached a barren mountain-top & Jorge freaked out as the plane landed. The airstrip was short & sharply inclined, designed so the plane would lose speed as it shot uphill. It was horrible, Jorge recalled. "I actually had to pray three Our Fathers," he said.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 34m34 minutes ago
Safely on the ground, Jorge knew at once what gift he was going to buy Chapo for his prison escape anniversary party: a helicopter. Why? "So he would fly in a more civilized way," he said.
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 35m35 minutes ago
Court over for the day. Some incredible testimony to wrap things up from Jorge Cifuentes, a Colombian kingpin who said he shipped 220 tons of cocaine in the '90s to LA, Houston, and New York.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 29m29 minutes ago
Jorge Cifuentes was arrested in Venezuela in Nov. 2012 and extradited in Dec. 2013. He's 52. Wore a tan prison jumpsuit. A small guy with glasses, stubble. He was believed to be one of El Chapo's main cocaine suppliers. Background via @chrstphr_woody: https://www.businessinsider.com/court-documents-show-ties-between-el-chapo-guzmn-and-colombian-cocaine …


How one Colombian family allegedly helped 'El Chapo' dominate global drug trafficking

Feb. 5, 2016

"The fugitive drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has finally been recaptured after escaping from a Mexican prison. He may end up serving time in a notorious US "supermax" facility.

To get an idea of how the elusive and monied drug trafficker operates, it helps to look at an indictment filed against him in a federal court in Florida in 2010. It is one of several indictments he faces in the US.

Guzmán and his Sinaloa cartel controlled as much as 35% of the cocaine produced in Colombia, and the Florida indictment links Guzmán to Colombian traffickers known as the Cifuentes Villa clan. It alleges they conspired to manufacture cocaine, ship it through Latin America, and distribute it in the US.

Guzmán's partnership with the Cifuentes Villa clan likely allowed his cartel to extend its influence over Colombian cocaine production and expand its control over global cocaine trafficking — a billion-dollar industry...."

How one Colombian family allegedly helped 'El Chapo' dominate global drug trafficking

The full indictment from the US attorney for the Southern District of Florida can be seen below:

https://www.personadeinteres.org/uploads/1b084c17-de60-41ba-8414-bf92e9fa158a.pdf

(An organizational chart of the Cifuentes Villa clan compiled by the US Treasury Department. US Treasury Department)

(Despite declines in some areas, the amount of cocaine seized at the points on the US border adjacent to Sinaloa cartel territory in 2014 is comparable to the amount seized near areas controlled by other cartels. DEA 2015 NDTA)
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 39m39 minutes ago
The Cifuentes family was known as "the social climbers of the Colombian underworld." One of Jorge's brothers was a pilot for Pablo Escobar. His sister married into the Fabio Ochoa family, which co-founded the Medellin Cartel. https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/arrest-social-climbing-colombian-drug-family/ … via @InSightCrime

Arrest Marks End for Social-Climbing Colombian Drug Family

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

"Over the years, the Cifuentes Villa family has collaborated with one drug trafficking cartel after another, from the AUC to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, but its power in the Colombian underworld may finally be coming to an end.

Jorge Milton Cifuentes was arrested November 8 in the Venezuelan state of Anzoategui, in a joint operation between Colombia‘s judicial police (DIJIN), Venezuelan police, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He has been indicted on drug trafficking and money laundering charges in the United States for his ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, and blacklisted by the US Treasury Department under the Kingpin Act.

Jorge Milton was one of the last active members of the Cifuentes drug trafficking organization. The family has been involved in the international drug trade for over two decades, working with several generations of Colombian criminals, including the Medellin Cartel, its successor group the Oficina de Envigado, the Norte del Valle Cartel, and paramilitary army the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).

The family came under extra scrutiny after Jorge Milton’s sister, Dolly Cifuentes, was arrested in 2011 and then extradited to the United States this year. She was the mistress of former President Alvaro Uribe’s brother, which has raised questions about the extent of the ties between the two families.

Milton’s brother Hildebrando, and Dolly Cifuentes’ daughter Ana Maria (Alvaro Uribe’s niece) remain at large. Both have been named by the US Treasury Department as involved in the Cifuentes Villa drug trafficking operation. Many other members of the family have either been arrested or killed. ..."

Arrest Marks End for Social-Climbing Colombian Drug Family

(Jorge Milton Cifuentes)


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 39m39 minutes ago
Jorge testified today that his first job in Mexico was supervising clandestine airstrips, ensuring they were the right length, had fuel, and food for pilots, "and to make sure the Mexicans weren't drunk."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 35m35 minutes ago
Jorge said he went to Culiacán in 2003 and was flown into the mountains on a Cessna to attend a party for the 2nd anniversary of El Chapo's prison escape. He said the flight was "terrible." After, he resolved to gift Chapo "a helicopter, so he would fly in a more civilized way."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 32m32 minutes ago
Jorge said he had to leave Colombia after FARC rebels "tried to kill my mother and kidnap my father." In response, he decided to arm a paramilitary group with "5,000 AK-47 rifles and 5 million rounds of ammunition."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
Jorge continued: "It became a problem because the paramilitaries decided they wanted me to continue being their weapons provider.… In reality, the paramilitaries were not fighting the guerrillas, they would take control of certain areas for cocaine trafficking."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 28m28 minutes ago
Jorge also told a funny story about meeting El Mayo Zambada. He said they were in a truck when the Mexican military started shooting at them. Jorge ducked down and stayed there for 30 minutes while Mayo drove away.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 27m27 minutes ago
Jorge continued: "[El Mayo] said 'Jorge you can come up now, it's all done.' He thought that was very funny. He told all his friends about it because I was such a coward."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 24m24 minutes ago
Jorge on the drug business: "This was a family activity. From the time I was very young I made cocaine."

He estimated that he sold $300M worth of cocaine in just the 1990s.

After he was extradited and pleaded guilty, he "signed an IOU for $150 million" to the US government.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 22m22 minutes ago
We'll get more Jorge tomorrow. He's expected to be on the witness stand under direct examination from the government all day.
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[YESorNO]

Former cartel member: 'El Chapo' used train route to transport cocaine

DEC. 10, 2018

"...Tirso Martinez Sanchez told jurors in Guzman's drug trafficking trial that the tankers would transport containers of cooking oil that would be siphoned out and fitted with secret compartments stacked with kilos of cocaine....

Also Monday, Guzman's wife Emma Coronel Aispuro spoke to Telemundo about sitting in the courtroom during the trial although she hasn't been able to be in contact with her husband since he was extradited in January...."

Former cartel member: 'El Chapo' used train route to transport cocaine
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Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera took credit for drug-smuggling plan, witness says
Informant testifies he came up with idea to sneak cocaine into the U.S. on rail tanker cars but the alleged drug lord later claimed the smuggling scheme was his idea.

December 10, 2018

"A former Sinaloa cartel manager responsible for smuggling 15 to 20 tons of cocaine into the New York area hidden in rail tanker cars rigged with secret compartments testified Monday in Brooklyn federal court that accused drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera claimed credit for the ingenious idea.

Tirso Martinez Sanchez, the fifth informant called by prosecutors to testify about the alleged $14 billion cocaine trafficking empire that Guzmán oversaw, said the accused drug lord’s claim came during a clandestine meeting in a cabin near Toluca, Mexico, shortly after he pulled off his first escape from prison.

A year earlier, Martinez had inherited responsibility for the cartel’s rail-trafficking operation that hid thousands of kilos of cocaine in secret compartments welded at either end of tankers shipping vegetable oil, and moved the tankers for unloading into private warehouses on rail spurs in the U.S....

Previous informants testifying have included Rey Zambada, the brother of Guzmán’s alleged cartel co-leader, Mayo Zambada, and a Colombian known as “Chupeta,” who said he was Guzmán’s chief supplier, providing vivid glimpses inside the operation of a criminal organization that was allegedly a key component of the drug epidemic that spilled onto U.S. streets for two decades...."

'El Chapo' took credit for smuggling plan: Witness
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[YESorNO]

Emma Coronel Aispuro, El Chapo’s Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Dec 11, 2018

"In a televised interview with Telemundo, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman’s wife Emma Coronel Aispuro said her husband is a regular guy whose notoriety is a product of an unfair media.

“They don’t want to bring him down from the pedestal to make him more like he is, a normal, ordinary person,” she said in an interview with the Spanish language media company.

The 28-year-old American-born former teen beauty pageant winner married the accused mass murder and drug lord when she was just 18 and he was 53.

With her husband on trial in New York for his drug trafficking, Coronel Aispuro has been a fixture in court.

Here’s what you need to know about Emma Coronel Aispuro:..."

Emma Coronel Aispuro, El Chapo’s Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com
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'El Chapo's' capture, trial show the limits of the kingpin strategy, experts say

DEC. 11, 2018

"WASHINGTON -- As Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, shuttles between a federal prison and a courtroom in New York City for his trial on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder, the violence his arrest was meant to reduce rages on in Mexico.

Mexico's kingpin strategy, which focuses on capturing high-value targets, is meant to reduce violence by weakening the influence of drug cartels. The idea, adopted by Vicente Fox's administration in 2000, is that capturing kingpins leaves a cartel with no leadership, causing it to fragment into weaker parts.
Instead, Mexico recorded its highest homicide rate in modern history at 29,168 last year...."

'El Chapo's' capture, trial show the limits of the kingpin strategy, experts say
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[YESorNO]

Jurors finally hear from 'El Chapo' ... in Sean Penn's Rolling Stone interview

DEC 11, 2018

"For the last month, jurors in the trial of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman have had a velvet rope view of one of the most infamous men on the planet. On Tuesday, they finally got to hear him speak.

“Drug trafficking is a culture,” Guzman explained in a brief clip from his 2015 Rolling Stone interview with Sean Penn, parts of which were played in court late Tuesday.

It was a moment hinted at throughout jury selection and teased in opening statements, though defense attorney Eduardo Balarezo was thwarted in his attempt to get the FBI analyst on the stand to name the actor who shared star billing with his client.

“It’s an interview with the defendant,” was all the witness would reveal.

Instead, Balarezo focused his brief cross-examination on a clip that could serve as a trailer for Guzman’s defense.

“Drug trafficking doesn’t depend on just one person, but on many, many people,” the defendant explained on the tape, while his wife giggled with a friend in the courtroom gallery....

Prosecutor Andrea Goldbarg also got a joke in, after the FBI analyst struggled to choose a piece of clothing that would identify the defendant from all the other men in suits in the courtroom.

“Blue tie?” she offered.

“That doesn’t really narrow it down,” Goldbarg replied. “What color is his suit?”

“Blue?” the analyst tried again. “Navy blue?” Another miss. “Him!” she cried, jumping as Guzman popped out of his chair to assist her.

But it was Judge Brian Cogan who stole the show, peppering proceedings with his snappy retorts.

“Is this going somewhere?” he asked Balarezo at one point.

“We’ll see, your honor,” the lawyer answered.

“All will be revealed,” the judge pronounced, lifting his hands over the courtroom with a grin."

Jurors finally hear from 'El Chapo' ... in Sean Penn's Rolling Stone interview

(A man reads an article about drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who was interviewed by actor Sean Penn for Rolling Stone magazine. Portions of that interview were played at Guzman's trial Tuesday. [Alfredo Estrella / AFP/Getty Images])
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[YESorNO]

Witness describes frightening flight to meet alleged drug lord, 'El Chapo'

December 11, 2018

"Jorge Milton Cifuentes-Villa remembered being scared for his life the first time he met accused cocaine kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera in a mountainous area of Mexico in 2002.

Cifuentes-Villa wasn’t afraid that Guzmán, who had a reputation for being a brutal killer, was going to harm him.

Instead, it was the white-knuckle flight to the alleged drug kingpin's mountain hideout that frightened him, Cifuente-Villa testified Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court in Guzmán's drug-traffficking trial.

Testifying as a government witness, Cifuentes-Villa said the landing strip — if one could call it that — was a patch of bare ground on the perilous incline of a mountain top.

“Horrible,” was how Cifuentes-Villa, 52, recalled the landing. “I got to pray three Hail Mary’s.”

The remark got laughs from some courtroom observers. But that may be the last humorous line Cifuentes-Villa delivers in his testimony. The convicted drug trafficker is expected to testify at length Wednesday about his years dealing with Guzmán in what prosecutors contend was a massive cocaine-trafficking ring that smuggled hundreds of millions of dollars in narcotics into the United States.....

Cifuentes-Villa is scheduled to continue his direct testimony Wednesday morning."

Witness describes frightening flight to meet 'El Chapo'
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[Niner]

Wednesday, Dec. 12th:
*Trial continues (Day 16) (@ 9am 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 13
12/10/18 Day 14: Prosecutors say his wife Emma Coronel used a cellphone to communicate w/him during the trial, violating court-ordered security measures. Motion for sanctions against a member of the defense over the phone. Another sealed motion by the government to limit testimony. State witness: Tirso Martinez-Sachez "El Futbolista" a trafficker who worked for the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels in the '90s and early 2000s.
12/11/18 Day 15: State witnesses: Tirso Martinez-Sachez "El Futbolista”. FBI analyst (no name) introduced 2015 Rolling Stone interview with Sean Penn, parts of which were played in court late Tuesday. Colombian trafficker, Jorge Cifuentes. Trial continues on 12/12.

 

[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Hello from Day 16 of El Chapo's trial. More testimony coming today from Jorge Cifuentes (see photo), one of Chapo's Colombian cocaine suppliers. When we left off yesterday, Jorge was flying into the mountains to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Chapo's 2001 prison escape.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
The other big news from yesterday was prosecutors showing the jury clips from the interview that El Chapo taped for Sean Penn, Kate del Castillo, and Rolling Stone.

Here's a sidebar convo where prosecutor Andrea Goldbarg refers to it as "the infamous Rolling Stone video."

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
And here's another excerpt from a sidebar convo yesterday, where El Chapo's lawyer @balarezolaw suggests the defense strategy might be to claim that the interview was scripted as part of a movie that Chapo was making w/ Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
The Rolling Stone video and El Chapo's ill-fated encounter with Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo is covered in episode 6 of our podcast. Listen.

EP 6: The Hunt


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
More updates to come during our mid-morning break. Stay tuned.
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[YESorNO]

Some late tweets from Alan from yesterday:

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 17h17 hours ago
The Cifuentes family are a fairly colorful bunch. Jorge's sister, Dolly, was the mistress of former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe's brother. One of his brothers, Francisco, was a pilot for Pablo Escobar. Another brother, Alex, was photographed w/Chapo when he was on the run.


Alan Feuer Retweeted
Esmeralda Bermudez ‏ @LATbermudez 16h16 hours ago
Esmeralda Bermudez Retweeted Alan Feuer

What do tuna boats, paramilitaries, drunk Mexicans, climate change, an ostrich farm and a prison escape party have in common? El Chapo’s fascinating can’t-make-this-stuff-up-if-you-tried trial.

----Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer
Today the Chapo trial detoured into the fascinating life of the Colombian trafficker, Jorge Cifuentes. Born in Medellin, Jorge was from a sprawling family of drug dealers. He was the 8th of 9 brothers, most in the business, Given his family position he was nicknamed El Penultimo.

1:35 PM - 11 Dec 2018


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 16h16 hours ago
People tend to think of Mexican drug cartels as highly-structured organizations like Mafia families or major corporations. But the trial of El Chapo has shown they're more like something out of "Game of Thrones"--full of bloody alliances and breakups.

El Chapo’s Cartel: Killings, Jealousy and Shifting Alliances

Dec. 11, 2018

"In the popular imagination, Mexican drug cartels — like Mafia families or major corporations — are sometimes thought of as stable entities that have lasted for decades. While bosses may come and go, many believe the basic structure of cartels, and the names associated with them, remain unchanged.

But a month of testimony at the trial of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the Mexican kingpin known as El Chapo, has suggested the cartels are less like the Gambinos or General Electric and more like something out of “Game of Thrones.” Cartel leaders have not only shifted frequently over the years, but the groups themselves have also changed shape in an almost constant series of alliances and breakups...."

El Chapo’s Cartel: Killings, Jealousy and Shifting Alliances
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 42m42 minutes ago
#BREAKING @vicenews: Colombian drug lord Jorge Cifuentes testifies that El Chapo used @Pemex oil tankers to smuggle cocaine to Mexico from Ecuador. Says a Pemex official was present in the mountains during a meeting with El Chapo and Damaso Lopez to arrange the shipments.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 42m42 minutes ago
News from the Chapo trial: In late 2007, Chapo met w/ executives from Pemex, the Mexico's national petroleum company, to use their oil tankers to ship cocaine from Ecuador.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 42m42 minutes ago
Present at the meeting, up in the mountains at Chapo's secret hideout, was a Pemex executive named Alfonso Acosta (sp?). Also there: Damaso Lopez, one of Chapo's men, and Jorge Cifuentes, a Colombia trafficker.



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 36m36 minutes ago
The Pemex bombshell capped an incredible morning of testimony from Jorge Cifuentes. He said Chapo arranged to have the tankers pick up oil and cocaine in Ecuador, then unload the oil at the port of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan. Jorge said the meeting in the mountains was in 2007.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 35m35 minutes ago
Jorge Cifuentes identified the Pemex executive who arranged the cocaine shipments as Alfonso Acosta. He said there were subsequent meetings to discuss the smuggling arrangements with Chapo's son Ivan Archivaldo and El Mayo's son Vicente.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 37m37 minutes ago
As recounted by Cifuentes, the plan was to move the coke up from Ecuador inside the Pemex tankers to a Mexican refinery. We'll learn more about it shortly...


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 6m6 minutes ago
While the plan didn't work out in the end, Cifuentes said, there were several meetings to discuss it. The idea was proposed by Vincente Zambada Niebla, the son of Mayo Zambada, Chapo's chief partner. Vincente was the one, Cifuentes said, who had "the connections" to Pemex.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 32m32 minutes ago
We also heard brief snippets of a taped phone call this morning between El Chapo and Jorge's brother Alex Cifuentes, who lived in Mexico and worked closely w/ the Sinaloa cartel. Still unclear what exactly was said on this call or how it was obtained.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
Jorge detailed his evolving relationship w/ El Chapo. The Pemex oil tanker arrangement came about after other cocaine smuggling methods, including tuna fishing boats and carbon fiber planes that were undetectable by radar, were no longer available to them.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 30m30 minutes ago
More testimony coming from Jorge Cifuentes. Will update again during the afternoon lunch break. Stay tuned.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 5m5 minutes ago
While the plan didn't work out in the end, Cifuentes said, there were several meetings to discuss it. The idea was proposed by Vincente Zambada Niebla, the son of Mayo Zambada, Chapo's chief partner. Vincente was the one, Cifuentes said, who had "the connections" to Pemex.
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Clarification: In latest testimony, Jorge Cifuentes says the cartel DID NOT end up using Pemex ships to smuggle cocaine. The route was only discussed. The plan was never put into action.


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

Jorge Cifuentes has since clarified that this route was never utilized by the cartel. It was discussed in meetings between him, El Chapo, El Mayo, Damaso Lopez, and others with "the Pemex people." He said the Pemex contacts were through El Mayo's son Vicente.

-----Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton
#BREAKING @vicenews: Colombian drug lord Jorge Cifuentes testifies that El Chapo used @Pemex oil tankers to smuggle cocaine to Mexico from Ecuador. Says a Pemex official was present in the mountains during a meeting with El Chapo and Damaso Lopez to arrange the shipments.

8:13 AM - 12 Dec 2018
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 48m48 minutes ago
Jorge Cifuentes still testifying against El Chapo. He said after the Pemex plan was called off, they planned to smuggle cocaine from Ecuador to Mexico using shark fishing boats. Jorge bought the drugs from FARC guerrillas, says Chapo knew about it. "He thought it was fine."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 41m41 minutes ago
Jorge described how he cultivated his business relationship with Chapo. It started in 2003, when he visited El Chapo in the mountains and gifted him a new helicopter: "He got very excited and his little eyes were actually shining, and he said thank you."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 39m39 minutes ago
This is the type of helicopter that Jorge bought Chapo, an MD 520N. Jorge said it cost $1 million: "It was very versatile and could do a full loop. Very quiet and good for the mountains." Chapo used it for awhile until his pilot crashed it an ostrich ranch he owned in Culiacán.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 38m38 minutes ago
Jorge wanted to smuggle the drugs from Colombia using tuna fishing boats, but Chapo said he had a better way: Small aircraft made from carbon fiber. Jorge: "They were not detectable by radar so they were good for cocaine trafficking."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 34m34 minutes ago
The carbon fiber planes could hold 400 kilos, but there was a catch: "These planes were not really planes, they were more like rockets." They required experienced pilots, and were basically experimental. After one crashed, Jorge asked Chapo: "Why not work w/ real planes?"


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 29m29 minutes ago
Jorge described a meeting w/ Mayo Zambada, who confessed to killing Jorge's business partner Umberto Ojeda aka Roba Chivas or the Goat Thief: "I told [El Mayo] you killed a good man. He said, 'If here born again I would kill him again, but I don't have any problem with you.'"


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 25m25 minutes ago
Jorge said El Mayo ordered the murder because of some old beef that Roba Chivas had with Amado Carrillo. When Rova Chivas started building a mansion in Culiacán, Mayo was annoyed and decided to exact revenge for his compadre. "Amado had wanted him dead," Jorge said.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 23m23 minutes ago
Jorge said El Mayo told him "let's work." When Jorge said he'd have to ask Chapo's permission before moving any cocaine, Mayo waved him off, saying, "Don't worry, we're the same thing."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 22m22 minutes ago
Jorge said there was an unusual dynamic between Mayo and Chapo. Even though Mayo was older and more experienced that Chapo, Mayo seemed almost deferential. "He was very respectful," Jorge said.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 21m21 minutes ago
Chapo was animated at times during Jorge's testimony. He was taking notes and leaning over to speak with members of his defense team. Sort of seemed like he thought Jorge was full of .


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 19m19 minutes ago
Last stretch before the break was spent reviewing accounting ledgers that Jorge kept to detail his business dealings with El Chapo. That's expected to continue this afternoon. More updates to come around 3pm ET.
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