Emma Coronel Aispuro trial: El Chapo’s wife pleads guilty to charges related to husband’s drug cartel
Prosecutors allege US-born beauty queen played key role in Guzman’s 2015 escape from Mexican prison
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The wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Emma Coronel Aispuro, has pleaded guilty to charges related to helping her husband run his international drug trafficking ring.
The US-born beauty queen appeared in a Federal District Court in Washington on Thursday to enter her plea on international drug trafficking charges.
She is also accused of helping plot her husband’s 2015 escape from a prison in Mexico, as well as helping plan another jailbreak once he was recaptured in 2016.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts – including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation into the United States. Her sentencing hearing was scheduled for 15 September, 2021.
Ms Coronel Aispuro had initially appeared to have no role in his criminal enterprise until federal prosecutors implicated her during her husband’s 2019 trial – as they said she helped orchestrate El Chapo’s two prison breaks in Mexico.
US prosecutor Anthony Nardozzi said the woman “aided and abetted” the multibillion-dollar Sinaloa cartel’s to smuggle drugs into the country from Mexico.
How did 'El Chapo' escape from a high-security prison?
Court to start soon for El Chapo’s wife
Emma Coronel Aispuro will appear in front of the United States District Court of the District of Columbia imminently.
She is expected to plead guilty for international drug trafficking charges, according to court records.
It was not clear if the court hearing will reveal if El Chapo’s wife is cooperating with federal authorities.
Court now in session
Judge Rudolph Contreras is presiding over the case United States v Aispuro.
At the start of court Judge Contreras asked: “I gather that Ms. Coronel Aispuro wishes to enter a plea of guilty today, is that correct?”
Her lawyer, Jeff Lichtman said: “Yes.”
El Chapo’s wife waives right to a trial by jury
Emma Coronel Aispuro has waived her rights to a trial by jury and potentially appealing her charges ahead of pleading guilty.
“To summarize, if you plead guilty in this case and I accept your guilty plea, you will give up all those rights I just explained to you, because there will not be any trial and there will probably be no appeal … do you understand that?” Judge Rudolph Contreras asked Ms Coronel Aispuro.
She responded: “Si.”
US prosecutors lay out case against El Chapo’s wife ahead of plea
United States prosecutor Anthony Nardozzi was asked by the judge to lay out the government’s case against Emma Coronel Aispuro ahead of her pleading guilty, which included her involved in large-scale drug trafficking.
The case also involved Ms Coronel Aispuro using “controlled commercial and residential properties” owned by her husband, El Chapo. She was also accused of deriving an income from those properties by renting them out.
Mr Nardozzi said that Ms Coronel Aispuro violated the Kingpin Act because she is a United States citizen, which prohibits people from having “financial entanglements” with a sanctioned narcotics trafficker.
The woman was also accused of helping her husband escape Mexico prison in 2015 through a tunnel with the help of her sons.
“The government would prove each of the three counts in the information by a variety of means. Those would include witness testimony, evidence generated by law enforcement investigation, and other means,” Mr Nardozzi said.
El Chapo’s wife enters plea of guilty
Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, has entered a plea of guilty on charges related to her involvement in her husband’s Sinaloa Cartel.
She pleaded guilty to three counts: Conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation into the United States; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; and engaging in transactions and dealings or properties of a designated narcotics trafficker.
Judge announces sentencing hearing
Judge Rudolph Contreras of the United States District Court in Washington DC has accepted Emma Coronel Aispuro’s guilty pleas on three counts.
The sentencing hearing will take place on 15 September, 2021.
Ms Coronel Aispuro, who has been held without bond in jail since February arrest, was denied bail and will remain in jail until her sentencing.
El Chapo's wife pleads guilty to three charges including drug trafficking and money laundering
More details on the court hearing here:
El Chapo’s wife pleads guilty to charges including drug trafficking and money laundering
She will remain in jail until her sentencing hearing in September
Emma Coronel Aispuro’s February arrest came as a surprise
The arrest of Emma Coronel Airspuro in February came as a surprise in part because federal authorities made no moves to arrest the woman over the last two years. She was implicated in her husband’s crimes during his 2019 trial, with prosecutors saying she helped orchestrate El Chapo’s two prison breaks.
US prosecutor Anthony Nardozzi said the woman “aided and abetted” the multibillion-dollar Sinaloa cartel’s to smuggle drugs into the country from Mexico.
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was known for running the Sinaloa drug cartel for 25 years and was responsible for smuggling cocaine and other drugs into the US, according to federal prosecutors.
He was convicted on 10 counts including engaging in a criminal enterprise, international distribution of cocaine and other drugs, and conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds. Following the conviction, El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, and is being held in Colorado’s Supermax prison.