The wife of drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has been sentenced to three years.
Emma Coronel Aispuro, 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to distribute illegal drugs, conspiring to launder money and of engaging in financial dealings with the Sinaloa drug cartel back in June.
Coronel, who married El Chapo when she was still a teen, was arrested at Dulles International Airport outside Washington in February.
Prosecutors said she played a ‘minimal role’ and had mainly been acting in support of her husband.
Federal prosecutor Anthony Nardozzi told Reuters: “While the overall effect of the defendant’s conduct was significant, the defendant’s actual role was a minimal one. The defendant acted primarily in support of her husband.”
Prior to today’s sentencing, the Department of Justice asked the judge to hand Coronel a four-year prison term, as well as five years of supervised release and a fine of $1.5 million.
Today, the court heard she had already paid the fine.
Speaking in court today, he Nardozzi said: “The defendant was not an organiser, leader, boss, or other type of manager. Rather she was a cog in a very large wheel of a criminal organisation.”
Speaking after she pleaded guilty in June, her attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said she was keen to put this all behind her and be reunited with her daughters.
He said: “This is an arm’s length plea agreement. She’s happy to take responsibility … to get on with her life.”
El Chapo, who was head of the Sinaloa cartel, was sentenced to life behind bars for crimes that spanned a quarter of a century.
He was indicted on charges relating to trafficking hundreds of tonnes of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana to the United States, along with money laundering.
While he is known for his high-profile drug empire, he also got a name for himself for his prison breaks.
Source: (Lad Bible)