Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been found guilty of all 10 federal charges against him at a court in New York, including charges he trafficked tons of drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, into the United States.
The 61-year-old was convicted by unanimous decision of the jury, which had taken about 34 hours over the course of six days to reach a verdict, following two-and-a-half months of testimony in court.
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The drug boss’s lawyers described Guzman as “incredibly upbeat” following his conviction, signalling that he is likely to appeal the verdict, saying: “He’s a fighter. He’s not done yet by far.”
Guzman’s legal team plans to appeal on the basis they were “improperly limited in their cross-examination of the 14 former cartel associates who testified against the former boss”, USA Today says.
If those appeals fail, the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel is the “perfect candidate for a supermax penitentiary”, NBC News says, and will most likely end up at one called ADX Florence in Colorado, according to former supermax warden Bob Hood.
“He’s such a high-profile person that, in my opinion, he’ll never be allowed on the yard with other prisoners for the rest of his life," Hood said.