Emma Coronel, wife of Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín
El Chapo
Guzmán, pleads guilty this Thursday to the federal criminal charges against which she is accused in the United States for
having helped her husband run his multimillion-dollar criminal empire.
Coronel, 31, appears in federal court in Washington, DC, in a hearing after reaching a plea agreement, on three charges: The first, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana in the United States.
The second, conspiracy to launder money, and the third, for carrying out transactions related to drug trafficking.
Coronel faces convictions that, on the first count of conspiracy to distribute drugs, range
from 10 years in prison to life in prison and fines of up to $ 10 million.
On the second and third counts, the sentences would be a minimum of 10 and 20 years respectively, and would have minimum fines of $ 250,000, or twice what he would have earned in those drug trafficking transactions.
The guilt of Emma Coronel will prevent the Sinaloa Cartel from unleashing "greater violence," says an expert
June 9, 202101: 52
She had previously pleaded not guilty
after being charged in a single-count criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Colonel, a Mexican and American national, was arrested in February at Dulles International Airport, in Washington, DC
The judge in the case asked Coronel this Thursday if she was sure she would plead guilty, since in that case she
would be giving up several of her constitutional rights,
and that if at any point she needed to pause to speak privately with her lawyers, she could.
He also asked her if she could speak and read English and if she had completed an educational career, to which she answered yes.
When asked if he had received psychological treatment or suffered a narcotic addiction or was under the influence of any drug or medication, Coronel replied that he had not.
Emma Coronel always denied that she had ties to the businesses of 'El Chapo' Guzmán
Feb. 23, 202104: 56
Coronel said she was satisfied with the services of her lawyers and that she understood "the nature of the charges against her," the judge asked her.
El Chapo's
wife
said she was waiving her right to be indicted by a federal grand jury.
The judge asked her if she had received threats or promises to deny that right, to which she replied that she had not.
This means that he would have to plead guilty or pass a trial, and Coronel has chosen the first option.
"Do you understand that if you plead guilty (and I accept your guilty plea), you are waiving those rights that I explained, because there will not be a trial and surely there will be no appeal, that you are giving up your right not to incriminate yourself, because to If I can accept your guilty plea, do you have to admit your guilt? "asked the federal judge.
Colonel answered affirmatively.
A premeditated decision
Coronel's attorneys have been in negotiations with federal authorities to reach a plea deal for months, one of Coronel's attorneys, Jeffrey Lichtman, acknowledged in an April interview.
Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, poses for a mugshot after being booked into the Alexandria Adult Detention Center on February 22, 2021 in Alexandria, Virginia. Alexandria Sheriff's Office via Getty Images
Mariel Colón, his other lawyer, explained to Noticias Telemundo that Coronel has "good days and there are days that are not so good." On his last visit he noticed her "calm and positive." "Obviously missing her girl. She can communicate with the girls on a weekly basis," he added.
Prosecutors have alleged that Coronel
"worked closely with the command and control structure"
of the Sinaloa cartel and conspired to distribute large quantities of drugs, knowing they would be trafficked to the United States.
Coronel married El Chapo in 2007 and had received "monetary support" from him since, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors in the case added during the appearance that after
El Chapo was
arrested
,
Coronel served as a conduit between him and his associates to keep his illicit business afloat.
Her arrest came as a surprise in part because the authorities appeared to have done nothing to arrest her in the past two years, even after she was implicated in the crimes committed by her husband.
During
El Chapo's
trial
in 2019,
prosecutors said she helped orchestrate the kingpin's two prison breaks in Mexico.
"I have nothing illegal": Emma Coronel assured in 2018 when they tried 'El Chapo' in the United States.
Feb. 23, 202100: 57
Guzmán, who was Mexico's most powerful drug trafficker, led the Sinaloa cartel, responsible for trafficking cocaine and other drugs to the United States during his 25-year rule, according to prosecutors.
They added that their
"army of hitmen" had orders to kidnap, torture and kill anyone who got in their way.
El Chapo
is
currently
serving a life sentence plus 30 years in the Florence Maximum Security Prison, Colorado.
The Sinaloan capo was convicted of 10 charges, including multiple cocaine distribution accounts in the United States.
With information from The Associated Press.