Mexican Drug Lord 'El Chapo' Found Guilty On 10 Counts Of Drug Trafficking

Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman has been found guilty on 10 counts of drug trafficking in a US court.

The 61-year-old was arrested in January 2016 after he escaped from prison via a tunnel five months previously.

He was found guilty in a federal court in New York on all 10 counts of drug trafficking. The cartel kingpin was once one of the richest people in the world and was listed on Forbes' rich list in 2009.

The drug lord is alleged to have overseen the exportation of hundreds of tonnes of cocaine into the US and ordered hit-men to carry out hundreds of killings.

But beyond his well-known involvement in drug-trafficking, the trail has exposed many more horrific revelations about his life.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, center, wife of Joaquin

Court papers released on Friday accuse him of drugging and raping girls as young as 13. According to the BBC, former associate, Alex Cifuentes is quoted as saying Guzmán "called the youngest of the girls his 'vitamins' because he believed that sexual activity with young girls gave him 'life'."

Cifuentes also alleged that Guzmán gave former Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto, a $100 million (£77m) bribe. Cifuentes claimed that Mr Peña Nieto contacted Guzmán after he took office in 2012 and said he would end a manhunt against him in return for $250m (£193m). Mr Peña Nieto has not commented on the accusations as of yet.

Part of the reason Guzmán was so notorious because of his numerous improbable escapes. He has escaped arrest on numerous occasions and custody in Mexico on twice.

In this courtroom drawing, Joaquin

During the trial, the court heard how Guzmán managed to escape from maximum-security Altiplano prison. A GPS watch was smuggled through to Guzmán's cell and his sons bought a property on the periphery of the prison. From this point, diggers crafted a tunnel to his cell and he escaped using an adapted motorcycle.

Guzmán is the most high-profile drug trafficker to be trialled in the US. Jurors for the trail were anonymous and provided with armed escorts, as prosecutors argued that Guzmán had a reputation for intimidating and even killing witnesses.

The 'drug war' between US and Mexican officials and drug traffickers has claimed an estimated 100,000 lives across the course of more than a decade.

Topics: News, US News, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey