Close Aide Of ‘El Chapo’ Pleads Guilty To Distributing Cocaine And Heroin, Faces Minimum 10 Years In Prison

A close aide to Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, pleaded guilty on Friday in a U.S. federal court to distributing 150 kilograms of cocaine and more than 30 kilograms of heroin. Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, 51, nicknamed “The Engineer” allegedly conducted many operations for the Sinaloa cartel. He will face a minimum of 10 years in prison with the possibility of being sentenced to life imprisonment.

CBS News reports said that Sarabia’s case was heard before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. Speaking through an interpreter, Sarabia spoke of how he always made a living as a cattle rancher. Originally, he was charged along with El Chapo in an indictment back in 2009 in Chicago. The Sinaloa drug kingpin wound up in maximum security prison serving a life sentence.

Just days prior to Sarabia’s guilty plea, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would consider an extradition request from El Chapo to be returned to Mexico to serve the remainder of his sentence. The request was described as an “SOS” from the drug lord, who claimed to be suffering from “psychological torment” while incarcerated in a U.S. supermax prison.

"We're going to review it," Mexican President told reporters. He said that it was unclear if Mexico has the authority to grant such a request while adding that the door must always be left open when it comes to human rights.

The maximum-security prison located in Colorado houses the infamous drug lord along with a number of high-profile inmates such as the likes of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and Oklahoma City bombing accomplice Terry Nichols. The facility was likened to Alcatraz prison due to its remote location and austerity.

El Chapo’s lawyer Jose Refugio Rodriguez said his client was unhappy with his supposedly harsh prison conditions. He said the former cartel boss is often isolated in a cell and rarely sees sunlight. El Chapo’s son, Ovidio Guzman may soon meet the same fate as his father after he was arrested in a bloody operation that stormed his hideout in Culiacan, Mexico. Though the operation was a success, it left over 29 people dead.