A present for Trump, El Chapo has been extradited to the US

mabar

The Living Force
FOTCM Member
_https://qz.com/890003/mexican-authorities-extradited-joaquin-el-chapo-guzman-loera-one-day-before-donald-trumps-inauguration/ said:
Mexico handed over El Chapo Guzman just in time for Donald Trump’s inauguration

Drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has been extradited to the US, Mexican authorities said on Thursday (Jan. 19).
President Barack Obama’s administration has been pushing for the transfer for months, and it comes less than a day before president-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.

Mexico’s foreign relations ministry said (link in Spanish) that it handed Guzmán over after a court rejected his challenges to extradition, also on Jan. 19. The agency was recently taken over by Luis Videgaray, the architect of Trump’s visit to Mexico last year. A spokeswoman for president Enrique Peña Nieto told the Washington Post the timing of the handover was related to the judicial process.

Still, it perplexed observers. Some speculated (Spanish) on Twitter that perhaps Mexican authorities wanted to ensure it was the Obama administration that took custody of the cartel leader, who twice escaped from Mexican custody.
There were four possible readings, tweeted security analyst Alejandro Hope: “1) coincidence, 2) tribute to Trump (on the wrong day) 3) avoiding tribute to Trump 4) tribute without the appearance. I go with 3.”

Others saw it as a sign of good will towards to the entrant president, and Trump is likely to view the extradition as good news. The president-elect boasted about his tough approach to drug trafficking during his election campaign, and even tweeted specifically about his qualifications to deal with Guzmán.

As far as extraditions go, Guzmán’s happened relatively quickly. When he was captured in Jan. 2016, legal experts said the process could drag on for years. Guzmán, who was flown to New York on Jan. 19, faces numerous charges in several US prosecutorial districts, including in the Eastern District of New York, headquartered in Brooklyn.

It will be a plethora of insults against Peña Nieto and Videgaray, mexicans had not taken well his approach to Trump months back ... although, I think it was needed, MSM keep demonizing Trump, and Peña did not stand up for the "humiliated mexicans" so I think people will get angrier as if they are not already with the increase in gasoline ...
 
The extradition of El chapo from Mexico to the United States, and ...the money?

Does the United States want to do justice or keep the immense fortune of El Chapo?

According to forbes magazine, in 2012, El chapo had an estimated fortune of one billion dollars.
A naive question: How can Forbes magazine know about fortunes that are "illegal"?

According to another source, a fortune estimated at 21.6 billion dollars seeks the US government to confiscate Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera.

No one knew where his person was but they know where his money is.
Ridiculous incongruity.
 
I think you are very near, in that topic del chapo, regarding they want the money,and how come the Forbes magazine knew (suposing) all about how much money did he have....fishy fishy of course....
 
mabar said:
_https://qz.com/890003/mexican-authorities-extradited-joaquin-el-chapo-guzman-loera-one-day-before-donald-trumps-inauguration/ said:
Mexico handed over El Chapo Guzman just in time for Donald Trump’s inauguration

Drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has been extradited to the US, Mexican authorities said on Thursday (Jan. 19).
President Barack Obama’s administration has been pushing for the transfer for months, and it comes less than a day before president-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.

Mexico’s foreign relations ministry said (link in Spanish) that it handed Guzmán over after a court rejected his challenges to extradition, also on Jan. 19. The agency was recently taken over by Luis Videgaray, the architect of Trump’s visit to Mexico last year. A spokeswoman for president Enrique Peña Nieto told the Washington Post the timing of the handover was related to the judicial process.

Still, it perplexed observers. Some speculated (Spanish) on Twitter that perhaps Mexican authorities wanted to ensure it was the Obama administration that took custody of the cartel leader, who twice escaped from Mexican custody.

There were four possible readings, tweeted security analyst Alejandro Hope: “1) coincidence, 2) tribute to Trump (on the wrong day) 3) avoiding tribute to Trump 4) tribute without the appearance. I go with 3.”

Others saw it as a sign of good will towards to the entrant president, and Trump is likely to view the extradition as good news. The president-elect boasted about his tough approach to drug trafficking during his election campaign, and even tweeted specifically about his qualifications to deal with Guzmán.

As far as extraditions go, Guzmán’s happened relatively quickly. When he was captured in Jan. 2016, legal experts said the process could drag on for years. Guzmán, who was flown to New York on Jan. 19, faces numerous charges in several US prosecutorial districts, including in the Eastern District of New York, headquartered in Brooklyn.

It will be a plethora of insults against Peña Nieto and Videgaray, mexicans had not taken well his approach to Trump months back ... although, I think it was needed, MSM keep demonizing Trump, and Peña did not stand up for the "humiliated mexicans" so I think people will get angrier as if they are not already with the increase in gasoline ...

Considering how quickly this extradition of El Chapo was handled and "the timing of this event" it gives the over-all appearance of being "a Political Stunt" when you factor in - within the same time frame - Assange/WikiLeaks were praising Obama for Commuting Sentence for Chelsea Manning, while a publication in The Cipher Brief (a intelligence and security publication) were calling for the extradition of whistleblower Snowden to the United States - as the "perfect inauguration gift."

Assange even offered to turn himself over - if Manning was "pardoned" but Obama only "commuted" his sentence to seven years served, which will be in May. I think, it was all a ruse, using El Chapo and Assange to help flush out Showden and for the Russians to make a move? Thinking further, if the Russian's had reacted by announcing, even in the slightest way, that they would "look into the extradition of Snowden" the Press would have had a field day claiming another Putin-Trump connection - just before the Inauguration? The Russian's are not stupid to the elite game plays? They have learned some hard lessons from History. Instead, Russia extended Snowden's Asylum for another two years and gave him the option of Citizenship - bringing the game to an end.

If you really think about it, why is this character, El Chapo who escaped custody twice - still alive - if authorities are aware of the location of a suppose
fortune estimated at 21.6 billion dollars? Just a wild guess, when it serves a purpose, he will be "helped" in escaping again ... and Trump will be blamed?

'Victory': WikiLeaks Praises Commuting Sentence for Chelsea Manning
https://sputniknews.com/us/201701181049701981-wikileaks-chelsea-manning-victory/

'Thanks, Obama!' Snowden Reacts to Commuting Sentence for Whistleblower Manning
https://sputniknews.com/us/201701181049702408-snowden-obama-manning/

Russia Extends Snowden Asylum, Slams Tip to ‘Present’ Him as Gift to Trump
https://sputniknews.com/politics/201701181049701218-russia-extends-snowden-asylum-gift/
 
"Opposition" parties to the government in Mexico have stated that El Chapo's assets and financial resources should be investigated and that deposits be made in institutions in the United States and other parts of the world.

If this request is formally made before the chambers of the Mexican government, it would be another of the problems that would have to be faced by the governments of Mexico and the United States, but also with the governments of other countries where El chapo has deposited parts of his Enormous fortune.

But this is really an uncontainable wave of lessons for politicians around the world and if they do not show signs of learning, then the terrible side of Mother Nature will take care of it. The expected change has come.
 
angelburst29 said:
If you really think about it, why is this character, El Chapo who escaped custody twice - still alive - if authorities are aware of the location of a suppose
fortune estimated at 21.6 billion dollars? Just a wild guess, when it serves a purpose, he will be "helped" in escaping again ... and Trump will be blamed?
Ah! Certainly, I did not considered that way, it sounds as a hot potato now, though ...considering this article https://www.sott.net/article/267503-Mexican-drugs-kingpin-and-probable-US-govt-agent-Joaquin-El-Chapo-Guzman-accounts-for-80-of-US-meth-trade
 
Borderland Beat: El Chapo trial first day ends with 17 jurors dismissed
Monday, November 5, 2018
Here we go.
45 juror candidates went through “voir dire”, which is the preliminary examination of a witness or a juror by a judge or attorneys. This part of the process is done under oath, and attorneys will rely on the extensive 31 page questionnaire submitted by potential jurors. See copy of questionnaire by using this link.

Going into Monday, of the 1000 questionnaires sent out, only 100 were in the running. Of the 45 questioned today, 17 were dismissed leaving 28 still in the running. There will be 12 jurors and 6 alternate jurors selected for the estimated 3-4 month trial.

Questioning focused heavily on previous exposure to information about El Chapo and of what source that information derived from. TV, film, media, blog etc. A woman was axed for watching the Netflix El Chapo series of which she said “was kinda boring”.

Having strong feelings about cooperative witnesses was on point.

Another focus was their opinion of marijuana legalization.

Although Judge Cogan has been hyper-vigilant about the security of the jury, armed guard transport, anonymous jury-no names, occupations or even vague personal information, a couple of those questioned from the pool expressed fear regarding safety. One said she read jurors will be sought after by Chapo’s family. She was dismissed. Most expressed no fear.

The first questioned from the jury pool was a Michael Jackson impersonator expressed fears that he would be easy to identify, he asked to be excused but is still in the pool.

So far as a group the jurors are young. A couple of them even in their 20’s.

Fridays will have a dark courtroom during the trial. If the trial begins on time beginning next Monday, the jury selection process must be completed by Thursday.

Borderland Beat: Jury Questionnaire for El Chapo's Trial
Monday, November 5, 2018
Jury selection began today.
1000 New York citizens were sent this 31 page questionnaire to prepare for their potential position on the jury of El Chapo. The jury will be anonymous, faceless, partially sequestered and transported by armed guard.

There will be no cameras in the courtroom and the government has asked for the courtroom artist to blur “faces”.

This was the 4th revised questionnaire. As you can see, there is a focus on the media including blogs and if the potential juror has read anything about the trial or El Chapo. It would appear that BB followers would be excluded from sitting on the jury.

The Brooklyn bridge was closed today to accommodate the transfer of El Chapo. This caused a traffic nightmare. It wasn’t as though the judge was not aware of the issue. The defense filed a motion to move the trial to Manhattan to avoid the problem.

Judge Cogan denied the motion saying they "had a plan".

Questionnaire on following page
1-of-36
In a status conference last Tuesday, Judge Cogan seemed to have lost his patience. Cogan reprimanded the prosecutors for “bringing more to the table” than they needed to convict El Chapo, including the accusations of being involved in dozens of murders.

Something we have been saying for a long while.
El Chapo Trial Jury Questionnaire 6.27.18 by Chivis Martinez on Scribd

Speaking about drugs, any news about Billy?
 
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November 13, 2018 - Factbox: The Career of Mexico's brutal Robin Hood, 'El Chapo' Guzman
Factbox: The career of Mexico's brutal Robin Hood, 'El Chapo' Guzman | Reuters


FILE PHOTO: Mexico's top drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted as he arrives at Long Island MacArthur airport in New York, U.S., January 19, 2017, after his extradition from Mexico. U.S. officials/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

The evidence likely to be presented at the New York trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman will paint a picture of a Robin Hood figure, albeit a brutal one, who amassed a $14 billion fortune by bribery, murdering rivals and smuggling huge amounts of drugs.

Guzman’s lawyers have signaled that they intend to downplay their client’s role in the Sinaloa Cartel which prosecutors say he led for years, at the trial which starts on Tuesday.

The following includes some of the most colorful claims made by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) in pre-trial documents:

* Guzman started as a teenager cultivating marijuana and growing poppies for heroin production, going on to become the main leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, “the world’s largest and most prolific drug trafficking organization.”

* While he was guarded by a virtual army of enforcers and cartel assassins, Guzman was also known to carry a gold-plated AK-47 assault rifle and a diamond-encrusted pistol for his own personal protection.

* In 2001, Guzman famously escaped from prison, purportedly in a laundry cart with the assistance of prison officials whom he had corrupted. He escaped again in 2015, from a maximum security prison via a tunnel of more than a mile long that emerged in the bathroom in his cell. The complexity and cost of the plan is part of the DoJ’s case that he was a very powerful figure in Mexico.

* Guzman’s enforcers were tasked with a wide-range of murder, assault, kidnappings, torture and targeted assassinations designed to “promote and enhance his prestige, reputation and position within the Sinaloa Cartel and to protect the cartel against challenges from rivals.”

* During one specially violent turf battle over the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, one of Guzman’s assassins oversaw a house specially designed for murder with plastic sheets covering the walls to minimize messes as well as a drain in the middle of the floor to quickly clean up spilt blood.

* El Chapo’s wrath against rivals could be hyper-violent. Allegedly on his orders, trafficker Julio Beltran was gunned down on the streets of the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan “using so many rounds of ammunition that Beltran’s head was almost completely separated from his body.”

* By some, he was viewed as a modern-day Robin Hood, popular with the down-trodden and extolled in popular songs. There were protests in the streets of Sinaloa after his arrest.

* While the DoJ documents does not explain why he enjoyed that status, for years stories have emerged in Mexico of Guzman helping poor communities by paying for roads and other infrastructure projects, including contracting helicopters to install posts for the electricity system of his mountainous home town of Badiraguato, Sinaloa.

* The geographical reach of Guzman’s drug empire was vast as his Sinaloa Cartel moved into lucrative methamphetamine trafficking starting around 2000, driving him to establish suppliers for precursor chemicals in Africa, China and India.

* Among his many Spanish-language nicknames was “El Rapido,” or “Speedy,” due to his uncanny ability to move massive drug shipments originating from South America across the U.S.-Mexico border using land, air and sea routes while returning laundered drug proceeds to mostly Colombian partners in record time.

* Massive bribes to corrupt politicians and security officials were largely responsible for the success of his business model, including a $1 million cash bribe for just one drug deal. The bribes often secured armed police escorts for shipments headed to the United States.


November 13, 2018 - El Chapo is a scapegoat for Drug Lord who bribed Mexico's President: Lawyer
El Chapo is a scapegoat for drug lord who bribed Mexico's president: lawyer | Reuters

A lawyer for accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman told a New York jury in opening remarks that his client was a scapegoat for the real leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

“He’s blamed for being the leader while the real leaders are living freely and openly in Mexico,” attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said on the first day of Guzman’s trial for drug smuggling in Brooklyn federal court, which is expected to last up to four months. “In truth he controlled nothing. Mayo Zambada did.”

Lichtman also said that Zambada had been left free because he “bribes the entire government of Mexico including up to the very top, the current president of Mexico,” Enrique Pena Nieto.

Pena Nieto’s spokesman said of the accusation: “That is false.”

Lichtman’s statement came after Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Fels laid out the U.S. government’s case, describing how prosecutors would prove that Guzman rose from a low-level marijuana trafficker in the 1970s to lead the powerful Sinaloa Cartel.

Fels said that Guzman, 61, eventually established relationships with Colombian cartels that allowed him to make billions of dollars moving cocaine. He said jurors would see evidence of seized cocaine shipments adding up to “more than a line of cocaine for every single person in the United States.”

Fels told jurors that Guzman left a trail of violence, turning parts of Mexico into war zones as he fought rivals to expand his reach. He said jurors would hear of how Guzman personally shot two members of a rival cartel and ordered them thrown into holes and burned.

Guzman faces 17 criminal counts and a possible life sentence if he is convicted.

The prosecutors’ witnesses are expected to include former Guzman associates who are now cooperating with the U.S. government in exchange for more favorable treatment, likely including Zambada’s brother Jesus “El Rey” Zambada and son Vicente Zambada.

Lichtman spent much of his opening statement attacking their credibility.

“Why is the government going so far in this case using these gutter human beings as the evidence?” he asked. “It’s because the conviction of Chapo Guzman is the biggest prize this prosecution could ever dream of.”

Lichtman urged jurors to “keep an open mind” and consider that both Mexican and U.S. law enforcement could be corrupt.

“They work together when it suits them, Mayo (Zambada) and the United States government,” he said.

Lichtman also strove to humanize the defendant, describing his childhood selling oranges, cheese and bread door to door in a poor village.

Tuesday’s opening statements were delayed by hours when two of the jurors chosen last week dropped out of the case, forcing lawyers and U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan to select two new jurors. Lichtman did not finish his statement and is expected to resume Wednesday.

Guzman, who twice dramatically escaped from Mexican maximum security prisons, has been kept in solitary confinement in Manhattan. His trial is surrounded by extraordinary security measures, with jurors escorted to and from court by armed federal marshals.

In addition to Lichtman, Guzman’s lawyers at the trial include Eduardo Balarezo and William Purpura, who previously defended Mexican drug lord Alfredo Beltran Leyva, once a partner and later a rival of Guzman. Beltran Leyva pleaded guilty to U.S. drug charges and was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Washington last year.

Slideshow (6 Images)
El Chapo is a scapegoat for drug lord who bribed Mexico's president: lawyer | Reuters
 
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