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Drug Lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Sentenced to Life in Prison

HeadlineJul 18, 2019

A federal judge in New York City has sentenced the notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to life in prison, plus 30 years, after he was convicted on a host of charges including money laundering, international narcotrafficking and weapons charges.

Reading from a prepared statement Wednesday at his sentencing hearing in a federal court in Brooklyn, Guzmán complained about his solitary confinement in U.S. custody, calling it “psychological, emotional and mental torture 24 hours a day.” He’s expected to be imprisoned at a notorious supermax prison in Colorado known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” where he’ll likely be granted minimal interaction with other people for the rest of his life.

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