El Chapo's appeal rejected; to remain in high-security Colorado prison
Joaquin Guzman, famously known as "El Chapo," will continue serving his life sentence in a Colorado prison, following a US court's rejection of his appeal for unlawful imprisonment.
The 66-year-old former Sinaloa cartel leader, notorious for his extensive drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons offenses, was convicted in 2019.
Guzman is incarcerated at a facility often referred to as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” known for its stringent solitary confinement regime, where inmates are isolated for up to 23 hours a day. This week, Judge Brian Cogan of the Eastern District of New York dismissed habeas corpus petitions filed by Guzman. In his ruling, Judge Cogan, who also presided over Guzman’s trial, noted the severity of the charges and Guzman's potential for the death penalty if not for his extradition terms.
The judge also denied Guzman's request for legal representation, noting he receives counsel from Mariel Colon Miro, who has represented both Guzman and his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro. The court rejected claims that Guzman’s attorneys failed to pursue a plea bargain and referenced sealed evidence indicating Guzman’s control over substantial assets not registered in his name.
Guzman’s four sons are now leading a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, with one son extradited to the US for criminal prosecution. Meanwhile, Coronel Aispuro, sentenced in 2021 for drug smuggling and aiding Guzman’s prison escape, was released from prison in September after pleading guilty to the charges. Guzman himself is known for previously escaping from maximum-security prisons in Mexico.
