The notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, also known as El Chapo, has already received the sentence of life plus 30 years in prison. This, after he claimed to be physically, emotionally, and mentally tortured in New York jail.
On Wednesday, July 18, El Chapo, wearing a gray suit and dark tie, received the grim news that he would spend the rest of his life in jail and would need to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture because of his drug-related crimes. This is probably the last time the public would see of him because he would soon be on his way to Colorado’s Supermax prison.
Just ten minutes before learning of his fate however, he called out issues with the jury about his hearing and legal situation. In Spanish, he said that there is injustice being committed against him as a report that one juror had revealed misconduct committed by other jurors.
Moreover, while he was able to escape prison twice in Mexico, which earned him his notoriety status, he was not as fortunate in relation to his incarceration in New York. Instead, El Chapo also revealed that his conditions in prison can be called inhumane. He reportedly experienced all sorts of torture while incarcerated, ranging from the physical to the mental.
It remains to be seen if his statements can garner him some public sympathy at least.
It could be recalled that during his trial, witnesses testified that El Chapo did not shy away from using torture and murder against his perceived cartel enemies. This is probably why when being handed out his sentence, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski claimed that “the long road that led 'El Chapo' Guzman from the mountains of Sinaloa to the courthouse was paved with death, drugs, and destruction, but it ended today with justice.”
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador seems to be elated about this sentence. On Thursday, he said that because of this U.S. sentencing, he expects violence to decline in the country.
He personally would see to it. “We will continue to create a better society, supported by values, that is not based on accumulating material wealth, money or luxury,” Lopez Obrador said in a morning conference.
It can be noted that Mexicans do not have that much faith on the president’s abilities to bring down crime and violence in the country. In the opinion poll carried out by Mexico’s Reforma newspaper, with the help of Washington Post, over 50% claimed that the president’s efforts to tackle crime were still lacking. The same number claimed that he is currently failing to reduce the rates of violence
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