El Chapo trial: Joaquín Guzman joked about arming infant daughter with AK47 in texts to wife, court hears

One of the explosive allegations made last week by Guzman's defence team was that multiple Mexican presidents accepted bribes from the Sinaloa cartel. This has been denied by Mexico president Enriqe Pena Nieto.

Mexican drug lord Héctor Beltrán Leyva has died in a hospital after being transferred from maximum security prison with chest pains, aged 56. 

Beltrán Leyva — nicknamed "the H" ​— became well known for bloody wars with rival organisations, including Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman's Sinaloa cartel, although the pair were once allies.

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Jesus 'El Rey' Zamabada said in court today that 'El Chapo' Guzman once had Rodolfo Carrillo Fuentes killed because he didn't shake Guzman's hand. Fuentes was the brother of Vicente Carrillo Fuentes who ran the Juarez cartel. This assassination then caused a turf war between rival cartels Sinaloa and Juarez, 'El Rey' testified.

"When [Rodolfo] left, Chapo gave him his hand and said, 'See you later, friend,' and Rodolfo just left him standing there with his hand extended," Zambada told the court.

Jesus 'El Rey' Zambada claimed that he was ordered to pay $250,000 (£194,000) in bribes to the Mexican military. 

A lieutenant colonel in the military demanded "$250,000, and if we don't do that, they're going to capture him [Guzman]," Jesus Zambada said he told his brother.

The aforementioned military operation was allegedly aborted, so Guzman invited Jesus Zambada and his wife to breakfast at his hideout in the pine trees of the remote Sinaloa mountains, the witness said.

During today's trial, 'El Rey' also said that Guzman would frequently boast about his lavish weapons. Guzman had a bazooka, AK-47s and a .38-caliber pistol engraved with his initials, Zambada said, with diamonds on the handle.

As one journalist from The New York Times has pointed out, access in this trial is particularly difficult. Extremely high security measures have been put in place.

This Twitter thread can give you a little insight into the goings on inside the Brooklyn court: 

That's all for our coverage of the 'El Chapo' trial today. We'll be back tomorrow to bring you all the latest news from New York.

A former lieutenant for Guzman's cartel testified on Monday that the infamous drug kingpin relied on rampant bloodshed and bribery to protect his multibillion-dollar smuggling operation

Jesus Zambada told the jury that the gunplay and cash payoffs were key components of the Sinaloa cartel's business model. The jurors were shown a photo of the pistol decorated with Guzman's initials as the witness described the brutal way the cartel dealt with various violent threats and personal slights. 

According to Zambada, a corrupt police commander was assassinated in 2008 for telling people "that he was going to finish off my brother and Chapo," and another drug dealer who was struck down by "a hail of bullets from Ak-47" that nearly took off his head.