'El Chapo's' wife arrested on drug trafficking charges, DOJ announces
The wife of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman was arrested Monday in Virginia at Dulles International Airport on international drug trafficking charges, with prosecutors accusing her of participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana for import into the US.
Emma Coronel Aisupuro is also accused of conspiring with others to assist El Chapo in his July 2015 escape from Altiplano prison and prosecutors said she also planned with others to arrange another prison escape for the drug kingpin before his extradition to the U.S. in January of 2017.
She will make her initial appearance Tuesday virtually in D.C. District Court. Aisupuro, 31, is a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.
Guzman Loera was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in New York in 2019 for his role as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
In addition to the life term, the judge ordered a $12.6 billion forfeiture, which prosecutors said was a conservative estimate of the proceeds of El Chapo’s drug trafficking.
The government presented evidence that Guzman ordered the murder of or, in some instances, personally tortured and murdered 26 individuals and groups of individuals. His army of assassins carried out violence on his orders, prosecutors said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
