Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman, aka ‘El Chapo’ was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday plus 30 years. In addition to that, he’ll be paying $12.6 billion dollars in forfeiture.
Guzman was speaking for about 10 minutes in court before the sentence, he was in a gray suit and a dark tie. In Spanish, “there was no justice here,” referring to a report that one juror has spoken about misconduct by other jurors.
Since he escaped prison twice in Mexico, he slammed the conditions of his incarceration in New York. He stated, “It’s been torture, the most inhumane situation I have lived in my entire life. It has been physical, emotional and mental torture.”
For over three decades, he infamously trafficked an estimate of $12.6 billion worth of marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and synthetic fentanyl into the United States.
Guzman has cost the United States in law enforcement, healthcare, incarceration to bring him to justice. The government spends roughly $50 billion annually on drug prohibition enforcement.
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Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski said Wednesday, “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.”
Guzman will serve out his sentence in Florence, Colorado, where the most secure federal prison is located. Defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman told CNN “No one has ever escaped, it’s absolutely impossible. It’s not even an issue.”
