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

[YESorNO]

Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman, who has a loose riffing style, also veered into tangents touching on Batman, Abbott & Costello, Wile E. Coyote and the 1978 World Series, but he never lost right of the Mayo Zambada theme.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
He suggested that Mayo might have orchestrated Chapo's infamous 2015 jailbreak through a tunnel dug into the shower of his cell. Why? Because it cemented Chapo's reputation, made him more of a target and thus took "the heat" off Mayo.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
Was it really Chapo's voice on the scores of phone calls the government intercepted? Who knew? Lichtman said. It could have been...Mayo Zambada.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
Was it truly Chapo in the 2011 video of a mustached man in a black ballcap interrogating suspects? Up went a photo of Mayo in a mustache and black ballcap. That was quickly followed by a cartoon rendering of...just a black ballcap and a mustache.


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman was obsessed w/the ears of Chapo's coke supplier Chupeta Ramirez. That's understandable since Chupeta had plastic surgery on the ears, his nose, chin, cheekbones, eyes, got hairplugs etc. But Lichtman was almost offended that he changed his ears. Kept saying, "The ears."


Alan Feuer‏ @alanfeuer 1h1 hour ago
As a final pitch he implored the jury to look past "the myth of El Chapo" and into their own hearts where he hoped they would find...doubt. He urged them to hold onto that doubt.
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Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
"If he's going to be blamed for everything that Mayo Zambada did," @NYCDefenseLaw said of his client, El Chapo. "Why are we here? Where is Mayo Zambada."


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
I would like to thank @NYCDefenseLaw for fun few hours of defense today. The audience was highly entertained - so much so that the judge had to remind those in the audience to quiet their laughter.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
The judge may have been the only one not entertained. At one point he appeared asleep. I turned to Emma Coronel, Chapo's wife, beside me. "He's meditating," she said, generously.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
At one point, @NYCDefenseLaw put up a Community Chest card from the board game Monopoly. "They want that card," he said of the loathsome (in his view) cooperating witnesses. "Mr. Guzmán is their ticket."


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
But I think @NYCDefenseLaw MAY have missed his calling ... I would watch any conspiracy-theory movie he wrote. What narrative twists! He had us all in fits of laughter. The jury seemed engaged, too.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
The prosecution played a years worth of tapped calls with Chapo's voice. None of the calls were between Mr. Guzmán and top cartel leaders. And while we're on the subject, @NYCDefenseLaw also suggested "Why not play Mayo's voice so you could cross that out?"


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
Add to that the fact that only cooperating witnesses could ID Chapo's voice, placing him as the head of the cartel. Before that, the who's-who was blank. "Hell, it could have been me," @NYCDefenseLaw said.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
Then @NYCDefenseLaw turned to the torture tape depicting a man in a black cap. But an agent "whose never met, seen or heard Mr. Guzmán in his life says it is," him on the tape. He flashed a black cap on a screen, then El Mayo in a black cap. "Oops," he said.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
Still on the torture tape from 2012, @NYCDefenseLaw said the man in the black cap could have been anybody, he "could have been the Frito Bandito."


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
After 6 hours from the prosecution yesterday, everyone relaxed a bit with @NYCDefenseLaw's argument. Even Chapo's wife Emma let out a laugh when the defense attorney flashed a black cap on the screen and argued that anyone wearing a black cap could be pinned to the torture tape.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 1h1 hour ago
Women have been given a small role in Chapo's trial. Only one of the 14 cooperating witnesses was a woman. Lucero Sanchez Lopez "was a sad female, so she was brought to yo here," @NYCDefenseLaw said. "I don't know what the purpose of her testimony was." He moved on.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 60m60 minutes ago
One more: Apparently, Mayo paid off the prison officials in Altiplano to facilitate Chapo's escape, according to his defense attorney, who said "someone wanted El Chapo's stature to rise again." Meanwhile, Mayo "stays in the shadows."


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 59m59 minutes ago
"You don't have to give in to the big myth of El Chapo and convict with your big red pen," @NYCDefenseLaw said in conclusion. "You can say, 'No, no, no. Not guilty.'"


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 55m55 minutes ago
"There's massive reasonable doubt here. You have what you need to acquit," @NYCDefenseLaw said, adding: "If you can look beyond the name El Chapo."


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 52m52 minutes ago
More seriously, @NYCDefenseLaw pointed to the fact that prison officials at Altiplano ignored 9 months of the sound of grinding concrete (prisoners complained) and waited 37 minutes "to make sure he got out safe before they sounded the red alert." That level of corruption takes $
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman's closing statement ends with his voice trembling as he implores the jury: "You don't have to give into the myth of El Chapo and just convict."

Afterward, Chapo gripped his shoulder and gave him an enthusiastic handshake, signaling his approval.



Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
The government will now give its rebuttal, to be delivered by prosecutor Amanda Liskamm. She told the judge she'll be done by 4:30pm. Then it's up to the jury.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
This was just an astonishing performance by Lichtman. He was repeatedly admonished by the judge for crossing the line. He almost cried at the end. Other times he was cracking jokes like it was a stand-up comedy routine.


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
A couple of the bold claims made by Lichtman:

"The behavior of these cooperating witnesses is worse than anything Mr. Guzman has ever done."

"At most, he was obtaining small amounts of marijuana from larger marijuana distributors in the Golden Triangle."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman also took the Mayo conspiracy to a whole new level. He suggested all of the wiretapped phone calls were actually Mayo's voice and not Chapo's:

"What the government is hiding from you is the voice on those tapes could be anyone — it could be Mayo Zambada — who knows."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman on Lucero Sanchez: "A 21-year-old girl hunting down cut-rate marijuana deals… that doesn't sound like the head of the Sinaloa cartel. If that's the head of the Sinaloa cartel, we've got problems."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman on cooperators corroborating each other: "Normally I'd say yeah, if you have four or five people saying the same thing, but these are not normal criminals, these are like the worst criminals ever."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman on Chupeta: "he's a bottomless pit of immorality… this guy — you're changing your underwear he's killing people… he butchered his face — and his ears — to avoid getting caught.… that's what a real drug kingpin looks like — that guy is scary."


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Lichtman on the attempted grenade attack on Miguel Martinez: "It's like when I watched Batman as a kid, the Penguin and the Joker would go through all these machinations to kill Batman. Why don't you just take a gun and shoot him?!"


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
The government's rebuttal is about to start, stay tuned for updates…
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1h1 hour ago
Actually, one more from Lichtman…

He put a cartoon of a black hat and a mustache on the projector, suggesting anyone with those would be mistaken for Chapo by the government: "It could have been Frito Bandito and they would have blamed it on Mr. Guzman."

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 12m12 minutes ago
The government's rebuttal just ended. This is case is now headed to the jury. El Chapo's fate will be decided on Monday.
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 1m1 minute ago
Most effective bit from the government’s rebuttal had to do with the cooperators: “we did not pick these people, Chapo Guzmán picked these people… you know a man by the company he keeps, ladies and gentlemen this is the company he keeps.”


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 4m4 minutes ago
Another one, on the defense claims about a plot against Chapo: “The government is not on trial, the defendant is. Don’t let them distract you from that fact.”


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3m3 minutes ago
And finally, on Chapo: “He’s not a made up myth or an inflated presence that we keep hearing about. This is reality.”
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Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 5h5 hours ago
Jurors were in knots of laughter as the defense wrapped up their closing arguments Thursday afternoon on day 38 of #ElChapo’s trial.


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 5h5 hours ago
@NYCDefenseLaw kept his tinfoil hat on even after Cogan repeatedly warned him not to veer back into conspiracy theory land.

“What the government is hiding from you is that the voice on those tapes could be anybody,” he said. “It could be Mayo Zambada. Who knows?”



Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 5h5 hours ago
Referencing Lucero Sanchez Lopez’s testimony about Chapo sending her up to the mountains in Durango to harvest marijuana, Lichtman said: “If that’s the boss of the Sinaloa Cartel, we got problems!”


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 5h5 hours ago
As Lichtman wrapped up almost in tears, he begged jurors not to give into the “myth” of El Chapo. To set him free.

“I am fighting for a man’s life here,” he said, evoking certain imagery as he said he’d done his best “to cover the walls of this courtroom in reasonable doubt.”


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 5h5 hours ago
He asked the jury to treat Guzman as they would want the criminal justice system to treat their own family members — or themselves.

“For the grace of God,” he said. “It could happen to any of us.”


Molly Crane-Newman‏Verified account @molcranenewman 5h5 hours ago
As Lichtman finished his final exhortation, I thought of this passage in Mark Jacobson’s piece last month for @NYMag.

“I beg of you — every one of you — to look into your heart, and if you have that doubt, hold onto it.

“You don’t have to give in.”

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Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 3h3 hours ago
1/ El Chapo's lawyer Jeff Lichtman spent the better part of his four-hour closing argument today systematically bashing the cooperating witnesses who testified against his client during the 11-week trial in Brooklyn. Here are some of the names he called them:


Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 3h3 hours ago
2/ "Animals,” “bad people,” trained “seals,” “liars,” “killers,” “degenerates,” “the worst criminals ever."


Also: “a sad female;" repulsive, dishonest garbage;” an “utter animal;” a “wild, vicious animal;” and a “bottomless pit of immorality.”

Jury begins deliberations Monday.


Amanda Ottaway‏ @amandaottaway 2h2 hours ago
3/ My @CourthouseNews story on the closing arguments this week:

El Chapo Lawyer Claims Witnesses Lied to Jurors

January 31, 2019

"BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CN) – In closing arguments at the trial of a man with one of the most notorious nicknames in drug trafficking history, a lawyer for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman gave nicknames to a few others – including “dishonest garbage” and “bottomless pit of immorality.”

Jeffrey Lichtman, who represents the accused drug kingpin alongside Eduardo Balarezo and William Purpura, spent the better part of his four-hour summation Thursday systematically bashing the cooperating witnesses who testified against his client during the 11-week trial...."

El Chapo Lawyer Claims Witnesses Lied to Jurors
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Just got the sidebar transcript about the jury issues from yesterday. This was the about the juror who wanted to know how Chapo is paying for his attorneys. Shows some strategy as both sides try to calculate whether this questions helps or hurts them.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5716478-El-Chapo-sidebar-conference-about-juror-issue-01.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Judge Cogan wasn't having it. He opted for "a private interrogation" to ask if the unidentified juror could put the lawyer question aside and reach a verdict based only on the evidence.

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Here's how Judge Cogan's private convo w/ the juror went down…

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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
The juror also asked Judge Cogan a second question about whether Chapo or his lawyers planned the defense strategy. Here's what happened w/ that part of the convo…

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 3h3 hours ago
Interesting thing about this juror issue is that it suggests at least one person may have been undecided prior to closing arguments. And if there's one, does that mean there are others?


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 2h2 hours ago
Watch @vicenews tonight on @HBO for a very cool piece on El Chapo that features a ton of video footage and photos used as evidence in the trial.

The product of amazing teamwork w/ @joeptone @LaurenEPrince @_MCisabella @AStocktonFilms @EvanMcS and @anaps.

(video clip: Keegan Hamilton on Twitter )
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[YESorNO]

El Chapo 'had a plan to conquer the drug world,' prosecutors say in closing arguments (with clip)

January 30, 2019

"NEW YORK CITY – Prosecutors in the trial of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman took almost five hours to deliver closing arguments Thursday in Brooklyn federal court, asking the jurors to find the reputed drug kingpin guilty on all 10 counts against him.

Eastern District of New York prosecutor Andrea Goldbarg laid out the main evidence and testimonies presented in the last 10 weeks. Behind her, prosecutors from other districts such as D.C. and Florida who had helped assemble the case were present in the courtroom.

The defendant came into the courtroom in a good mood, smiling and waving at his wife in the audience, but his demeanor quickly changed. Guzman seemed nervous at times, though his attorney Eduardo Balarezo told Fox News that “he’s very calm” these days, not to mention “an optimist.”...

Goldbarg also prepared the jury for what they may hear from the defense Thursday: "These witnesses are criminals. The government is not asking you to like them. ... Their testimony is corroborative."..."

El Chapo 'had a plan to conquer the drug world,' prosecutors say in closing arguments
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Prosecutor: El Chapo feared prosecution on US soil

Jan 30, 2019

"NEW YORK (AP) — Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was portrayed Wednesday in closing arguments at his U.S. trial as a ruthless Mexican drug lord who also became skilled at evading capture and escaping prison because he feared facing justice on American soil.

"Why didn't the defendant want to get caught? I submit it was because he knew he was guilty," Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg told the jury. "He always had an escape plan in place."

The defendant, who knew he had been named in a U.S. indictment, had his Sinaloa cartel dig a mile-long (1.6-kilometer-long) tunnel to break him out a Mexican prison in 2014, a stunt showing "just how badly he wanted to avoid being here today," she added....

The prosecutors told jurors if they had any doubt Guzman was guilty, they should ask themselves why he acted the way he did: why he had bodyguards, hid out in the Sinaloa mountainside, dug secret trap doors in his safe houses and used spyware on his wife and two girlfriends.

"The questions could go on and on," Goldbarg said. "The answer is common sense.""

Prosecutor: El Chapo feared prosecution on US soil
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Top Five Moments From The Nearly Over El Chapo Trial

31 Jan 2019

"The end is nigh.

Yesterday was day 37 in the trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg laying out her closing arguments.

Today, the defence is expected to make their closing arguments, which will be followed by the prosecutors’ rebuttal and the jury’s deliberations.

In other words, it’s almost over.

In a trial that’s been action-packed at every turn, picking the 10 wildest moments is no easy task, but the team at VICE News have given it a bash.

We have covered some of these during the trial, but it serves as a decent reminder of how many ‘wow’ moments have taken place inside the Brooklyn courthouse.

Here are five that stand out:..."

Top Five Moments From The Nearly Over El Chapo Trial – 2oceansvibe.com

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Defense lawyer: Government case against El Chapo ‘a fantasy’

January 31, 2019

"NEW YORK (AP) — A defense attorney for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman assailed the federal case against the Mexican drug lord as “a fantasy,” telling a U.S. jury Thursday that the prosecution relied on a parade of cooperating witnesses who “lie, steal, cheat, deal drugs and kill people” for a living.

In an impassioned closing argument, defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said prosecutors failed to address a “600-pound gorilla” of reasonable doubt in their bid to convict one of the world’s most notorious drug traffickers. He dismissed the testimony of government witnesses as “repulsive, dishonest garbage” and called into question the motives of the U.S. Justice Department, which he accused of disregarding another man the defense calls the actual cartel leader.

The prosecution, Lichtman added, orchestrated a “scripted event” over the past three months in federal court in Brooklyn based on the shifting accounts of degenerate drug dealers seeking leniency in their own cases.

“A house that’s built on a rotten foundation won’t stand for long,” Lichtman said. “We have to trust the word of these lunatics?”..."

Defense lawyer: Government case against El Chapo 'a fantasy'
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El Chapo Lawyer Blames ‘Lying Opportunists’ for Giving Case ‘Life’ In Closing Arguments

January 31, 2019

"A defense lawyer for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman blasted the U.S. government’s case against the accused cartel boss Thursday, saying it heavily rests on the cooperation of a band of criminals and the word of “lying opportunists.”

During closing arguments, attorney Jeffrey Lichtman told the jury they can’t trust the 14 cooperating witnesses who testified against Guzman because many were “given sweetheart deals” to frame Guzman in exchange for shortened prison sentences.

“They’re just lying to your faces,” Lichtman said. “They may be liars. They may be killers. They may be degenerates, but they’re not stupid.”

Behind the defense lawyer, a composite of the witnesses’ mugshots were plastered on a giant projection screen....
The jury is expected to begin deliberations Monday."

El Chapo Lawyer Blames ‘Lying Opportunists’ for Giving Case ‘Life’ In Closing Arguments
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El Chapo lawyer says accusers lied to jury, and prosecutors let them (with clip)

Jan. 31, 2019

"....In the government's rebuttal argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Liskamm cited evidence that showed Zambada sometimes sought Guzmán's approval before issuing orders for executions or other matters.

"Co-leaders of the Sinaloa cartel," she said. "Not a myth, a reality."

Liskamm pointedly acknowledged that the cooperating witnesses are "bad" people. But she told jurors the government had to go to insiders to get accurate details about the cartel's operations and Guzmán's leadership role.

The cooperators' testimony frequently meshed, she said, and often was corroborated by other evidence.

Guzmán himself picked the witnesses "to work with," Liskamm said.

"These people reported to him. He was their boss.""

El Chapo lawyer says accusers lied to jury, and prosecutors let them
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The Wildest Revelations From the El Chapo Trial

"...The defense, which has argued that Chapo is the fall guy for his longtime partner Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, isn’t expected to have much of a rebuttal to these details, the wildest of which are below:..."

The Wildest Revelations From the El Chapo Trial

(El Chapo and his attorney listen as a prosecutor delivers closing arguments. Photo: Elizabeth Williams/AP)
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El Chapo’s own lawyer makes fun of his height — again

January 31, 2019

"Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s own lawyer on Thursday made fun of his own client’s diminutive stature in an effort to defend the drug lord in court.

“That 60-year-old man who’s this big is whacking people with a tree branch for three hours?” scoffed attorney Jeffrey Lichtman during his closing statement in Chapo’s Brooklyn federal court trial — holding his hand just above his hip.

His quip was a reference to earlier testimony from Guzman’s former bodyguard, Isaias Valdez Rios, who claimed the drug lord once belted a captive from a rival cartel with a stick for hours before killing him.

Guzman’s defense team contends that the notorious 5-foot-6-inch cocaine smuggler — whose nickname means “shorty” — is being framed as the leader of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel to protect its real boss, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada....

In a brief response afterward, Department of Justice attorney Amanda Liskamm acknowledged the prosecution’s turncoat witnesses are “bad” people, but said it was preposterous that they’d all come together just to “defame” Chapo.

“The day cocaine conspiracies are made in heaven, the U.S. government can call angels as witnesses,” she said."

https://nypost.com/2019/01/31/el-chapos-own-lawyer-makes-fun-of-his-height-again/
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El Chapo’s beauty queen wife speaks out as blockbuster trial comes to a close: ‘I have nothing to be ashamed of’

FEB 01, 2019

"After sitting silently through more than 200 hours of testimony that included allegations her husband tortured his victims and had them buried alive, El Chapo’s beauty queen wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, spoke out late Thursday in her most substantial comments since his trial began.

“Today I finish those long days in court where there was everything. Good days and bad days where also my name was mentioned several times and exposed in doubt,” Coronel wrote in Spanish on her Instagram account.

“I can only say that I have nothing to be ashamed of. I am not perfect, but I consider myself a good human being who has never hurt anyone intentionally.”..."

El Chapo’s beauty queen wife speaks out as blockbuster trial comes to a close: ‘I have nothing to be ashamed of’ - NY Daily News
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 9h9 hours ago
With a record 254 pounds of fentanyl (plus 395 pounds of meth) seized at a border checkpoint in Arizona, it’s time to re-up my @vicenews story on fentanyl production in Mexico

https://news.vice.com/amp/en_us/article/pa5nbk/how-the-sinaloa-cartel-is-using-chinese-chemicals-to-fuel-americas-opioid-crisis …


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 9h9 hours ago
Background on the massive fentanyl/meth bust in Nogales via @EOckerman. The drugs were hidden in the floor a semi-truck carrying cucumbers.

https://news.vice.com/amp/en_us/article/vbwdxa/a-record-breaking-amount-of-fentanyl-was-seized-at-a-legal-border-crossing …
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Some late tweets from Emily:

Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
On rebuttal the prosecution reminded the jury: 1. El Chapo is on trial. Mayo is not on trial. The Cifuentes brothers are not on trial. 2. Also, don’t blame us for imperfect witnesses. Chapo chose them for his cartel and we’re stuck using them now.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
Of @NYCDefenseLaw charges that the many voice recordings might not be Chapo at all, the prosecutor argued that if he “looks like the defendant, sounds like the defendant and is on the defendant’s phone,” it doesn’t make sense to argue that it “is not the defendant.”


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
In order to understand the defense’s argument in this case, you have to believe that the defendant is the most unlucky man in the world.” Also: that the 14 cooperating witnesses with knowledge of the cartel from the 1980s-2010s “all got together and came up with a story.”


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
Also to believe the defense: you’d have to believe that the F.B.I. colluded with Chapo’s I.T. guy to make up the voice recordings and letters were forged and wars were made up and Mayo Zambada is really to blame for everything because he has a black hat, the prosecutor said.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
“The defense is pointing fingers everywhere: except where the finger belongs: the defendant,” the prosecutor said.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
“We ask that you return the only verdict that is consistent with this evidence and that is not guilty on every count,” the prosecutor said.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
After the jury left, another prosecutor reminded the judge that “the government is not on trial here,” and noted some complaints about the defense’s closing arguments. The judge said that objections or the rebuttal would have been the best platform for the complaints.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
The judge said he’d hear the government’s concerns in writing by Saturday. “It’s about time that we put in some work on the weekend in this case,” the judge said, adding he looked forward to “the usual weekend letter from the government.” The sarcasm dripped from his robes.


Emily Palmer‏Verified account @emilyepalmer 9h9 hours ago
The judge appeared quite ready for this case to conclude. He couldn’t coax the jury into starting deliberations tomorrow but he expressed resigned discontentment with all the government’s latter-day complaints about the trial.
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At El Chapo’s Trial, a Netflix Producer Is Taking Notes for Future ‘Narcos’ Episodes

Feb. 1, 2019

"Eric Newman, showrunner of the Netflix show “Narcos: Mexico,” sat rapt in the gallery on a recent day when Lucero Guadalupe Sánchez López, the former mistress of the Mexican crime lord known as El Chapo, tearfully testified in Federal District Court.

“I got lucky — it was a really good day,” Mr. Newman said.

The drug conspiracy trial of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as El Chapo, began in November and Mr. Newman said it had been “an amazing open book for us.” He made a special trip to New York just to watch the proceedings in person. “To hear these people talked about in the first person is remarkable.”...

The material has almost seemed beyond the imagination of any Hollywood writer.

The stories will certainly be fruitful for Mr. Newman’s show, whose first season premiered last year on Netflix. The series was a follow-up to “Narcos,” which in three seasons chronicled the Colombian drug wars of the 1980s and 90s and focused on Pablo Escobar.

“Narcos: Mexico” details the 1980s rise of the Guadalajara cartel, led by Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. Mr. Guzmán is a supporting character on the show.

Tidbits from the trial could filter their way into future scripts for “Narcos: Mexico,” which has not yet begun production on its next season. But that has not stopped people associated with the show from doing some firsthand research....

Mr. Newman said he heard from associates of Mr. Guzmán that the drug lord enjoyed the early seasons of “Narcos.” “I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” Mr. Newman said. “But I believe we’ve never glorified these guys. They lead these incredibly stressful lives being hunted and end up dead or captured on a roof.”...

The possibility of an El Chapo-themed spinoff has not been ruled out. “Every season of ‘Narcos’ is a spinoff in a way,” said Mr. Newman. “We’re in a constant state of spinoff, because that’s what the drug business does,” with its high body count...."

At El Chapo’s Trial, a Netflix Producer Is Taking Notes for Future ‘Narcos’ Episodes
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Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 6h6 hours ago
I love @MarshallProj but there's an unfortunate error about the Chapo trial in today's newsletter. Yesterday's closing argument by the defense went nearly all day. The link is to this article about the one witness called to testify briefly on Wednesday.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/29/nyregion/el-chapo-trial.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 6h6 hours ago
Also, if you're going to send to readers to a piece about the wildest revelations from El Chapo's trial, I would have suggested this one…

The 10 wildest moments and stories from El Chapo’s trial


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 6h6 hours ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted Distant Relative

The Chapo trial is off today. Jury deliberations will begin Monday morning.

---Distant Relative‏ @LankyObserver
Replying to @keegan_hamilton
Any news/update on the jury's deliberations? Have they started yet?
5:21 AM - 1 Feb 2019


Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 6h6 hours ago
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted David Lizarraga

Read the story by @katelinthicum. What's happening in Tijuana is the result of decades of failed drug war policies, including the kingpin strategy, border militarization, and US restrictions on pseudoephedrine sales.

---David Lizarraga‏ @davidelizarraga
Replying to @keegan_hamilton
Isn’t “The Drug War” a description of larger institutions fighting against each other? The violence in Tijuana described in this thread touches upon low level unorganized neighborhood tweakers fighting over blocks because of cheap meth.
8:47 PM - 31 Jan 2019

---Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton Jan 31
Keegan Hamilton Retweeted Kate Linthicum

Very good thread on what the drug war has done to Tijuana…

Kate Linthicum on Twitter
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[YESorNO]

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 5h5 hours ago
El Chapo is charged with running a "Continuing Criminal Enterprise," which includes conspiracy to commit murder.

Here are all of the people prosecutors say he killed while he was a leader of the Sinaloa cartel.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5717253-List-of-El-Chapo-s-alleged-murder-victims.html …

Keegan Hamilton‏Verified account @keegan_hamilton 5h5 hours ago
Note: These are people El Chapo *conspired* to kill. A few of them, like his IT guy Christian Rodriguez, are still alive.
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