US: Life sentence plus 30 years sought for ‘El Chapo’

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New York: US prosecutors have finalized their request for a life sentence plus 30 years imprisonment for Mexican kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, whose sentencing is set for July 17 at a court here.

In a final letter to Judge Brian Cogan on Wednesday, prosecutors argued that “the Court should sentence the defendant to the statutory mandatory minimum of life imprisonment with 30 years’ imprisonment to run consecutively”, Efe news reported

“The defendant should be ordered to pay restitution, with the amount to be determined within 90 days of the defendant’s sentencing hearing,” the letter added. This legal formula of life imprisonment plus 30 years in prison is a way to ensure that, if accepted by the judge, El Chapo spends the rest of his life in prison.

On July 5, the prosecutors had also asked that $12.6 billion in drug money be recovered from the Sinaloa Cartel kingpin, who was found guilty of 10 charges including drug trafficking.

El Chapo, who is being held in a Manhattan federal prison considered one of the most secure jails in the country, faced a three-month trial during which 56 witnesses were called to the stand, including former partners and employees. He was found guilty by the jury after six days of deliberations.