With a handwritten letter, “El Chapo” Guzmán requests a new trial for alleged irregularities

With little or no chance of success, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán sent a handwritten message from the ADX Florence super-maximum security prison, where he is being held. In the letter he now claims that his extradition was illegal and that he had an inadequate defense.

“El Chapo” Guzmán reiterated that he should have been extradited and prosecuted in a court in Texas or California, where he corresponded, according to the specialty rule of the treaty, based on the order executed against him.

“My lawyers were ineffective. The witnesses were not properly examined and, as a result, I was found guilty. Nor did they fight for certain evidence to be excluded from the case,” noted the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

The trial of “El Chapo” was led by his defender Jeffrey Lichtman, but the drug trafficker is now represented by lawyer Mariel Colón Miro.

Although The letter is dated September 25, it was only October 15 when the procedure that was taken to the Court of Appeals was completed, However, according to specialists close to the case, the drug trafficker lost his chances of a new trial and his request, in any case, had to go to the Supreme Court.

So far, authorities have yet to respond to Guzmán’s request.

In July 2019, Guzmán Loera was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of 10 counts of 26 drug law violations and a murder conspiracy in New York.

On that occasion, “El Chapo”’s lawyers argued that his conviction should be annulled because members of the jury read press articles that caused them to be prejudiced toward Guzmán.

Furthermore, the confinement to which “El Chapo” was subjected, which prevented him from working effectively with his lawyers in preparing his defense, was claimed to be unfair.

For this reason, lawyer Marc Fernich requested a new trial before a three-judge board of the appeals court, but was unsuccessful.

Now, This new request comes in the middle of the legal process of his sons in the United States, Ovidio Guzmán and Joaquín Guzmán López, who are negotiating with the authorities to plead guilty. and thus obtain a minimum sentence.

*With information from EFE.

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