Chivis Martinez for Borderland Beat Includes Pretrial Detention Filing and Indictment
The capo had the look of “surprise, shock and even a bit of fear” now that he was facing “American justice.”
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| In Brooklyn |
This morning Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn New York, issued their plan in keeping the Sinaloa Cartel leader known as “El Chapo” Guzman in custody.
The feds distributed the memo (full document below) saying that measures have been made to assure there will be no prison outbreaks while Chapo is in United States custody.
Angel Melendez, the special Homeland Security Investigation agent, said at a news conference “I can assure you no tunnel will be built to his bathroom”, this in reference to Chapo’s tunnel escape from Mexico’s maximum security prison No. 1 known as “Altiplano”, in the state of Mexico. Before Chapo’s escape from Altiplano, there had never been a successful escape from the prison.
Melendez also spoke of seeing Chapo for the first time upon his arrival, he said he looked into Mr. Guzman eyes and saw “surprise, shock and even a bit of fear” now that he was facing “American justice.”
That is no surprise to anyone following the extradition saga of El Chapo, his surrogates speaking on his behalf, have often mentioned the fear El Chapo had of being extradited to the United States. He was under the impression he could even receive a sentence of death.
There are indictments against Chapo in six federal districts. The feds say they decided to prosecute Chapo in Brooklyn, with the assistance of Miami federal prosecutors, determining the two offices working in conjunction would bring the strongest case against Chapo. However the cases in other districts will remain opened.
The U.S. is seeking a forfeiture of 14 billion USD against Chapo.
Prosecutors also announced plans to call dozens of witnesses, including agents, rival cartel members, and public officials. These witnesses will testify to the massive scope of Chapo’s drug organization.
No doubt the star witnesses will be the Flores Twins, known as “The twins who betrayed Chapo”. The brothers went undercover for the U.S. which included wiretapping.
In its memo issued Friday, Mr. Capers’s office said that it would seek a criminal forfeiture of $14 billion against Mr. Guzmán and announced that it planned to call dozens of witnesses who would testify about the staggering scope of Mr. Guzmán’s criminal enterprise: its multi-ton shipments of drugs in trucks, planes, yachts, fishing vessels, container ships and submersibles as well as its numerous killings of witnesses, law enforcement agents, public officials and rival cartel members.
Memorandum of law in support of pretrial detention
New York Superseding Indictment, May 2016