A year and a half after Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was sentenced to death, El Chapo's wife was arrested by authorities in the United States on Monday.
The 31-year-old former American teenage beauty queen, Emma Coronel Aispuro, was accused of aiding her husband in running the multi-billion dollar Sinaloa Drug Cartel. She also allegedly helped him plot his prison break from a Mexican prison back in 2015.
El Chapo's wife was apprehended at Virginia's Dulles International Airport. The "first lady" of the most dominant drug cartel in Mexico is expected to appear before the federal court in Washington come Tuesday. Coronel is a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S., NY Post reported.
The apprehension of Sinaloa's King and Queen
El Chapo's wife's arrest is just the latest turn in the saga which involves the notorious drug lord. Known as the king of the infamous Sinaloa Drug Cartel, Guzman was able to pull off two prison escapes in Mexico, which made an impression that he and his family were untouchables.
However, in 2017, Guzman was extradited to the U.S. and is currently serving life in prison. He was sentenced to death in July 2019.
At the moment, El Chapo's wife, the mother of his two young daughters, has been captured and is currently facing charges of helping him run the notorious drug empire. The criminal complaint filed against Coronel is a single-count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana in the U.S.
The Justice Department is also accusing her of playing a role in her husband's escape from prison in 2015. Also, she was suspected to be part of the planning for El Chapo's escape from prison before he was extradited to the United States.
Jeffrey Lichtman, the attorney for El Chapo's wife, refused to comment on Monday night, according to CBS News.
El Chapo's Drug Empire
Hailed as the most powerful drug lord, El Chapo ran the largest drug ring in Mexico for 25 years, responsible for smuggling tons of cocaine and other illegal drugs to the U.S.
Prosecutors also stated in the court papers that El Chapo's "hitmen" were given orders to torture and "eliminate" anyone who got in the cartel's way.
The prison escapes of El Chapo became legends in Mexico and started the conversation of whether Mexico's justice system can hold him accountable for his crimes.
In one of his escapes, the drug lord broke out of prison through an entrance under his cell shower. It then led to a tunnel which was about a mile long, and had a motorcycle on rails. According to prosecutors, El Chapo's wife played a huge role in planning the extensive prison escape, Reuters reported.
According to court papers, El Chapo's wife worked with his sons, along with a witness who is now working with the U.S. government. The witness stated that Coronel helped organize the construction of a tunnel that El Chapo used to escape prison to prevent his extradition to the U.S.
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