NPR

Mexican Drug Kingpin 'El Chapo' Is Sentenced To Life Plus 30 Years In U.S. Prison

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the 62-year-old former head of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, was convicted in February for drug crimes. A life sentence was mandatory.
Joaquin Guzmán, also known as "El Chapo," was sentenced Wednesday to a life term in prison plus 30 years. After the sentencing in a Brooklyn courthouse, U.S. attorneys and other officials greeted the media, including Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

Updated at 12 p.m. ET

A federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., has sentenced drug kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán to a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years for his role in leading Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. A life sentence was mandatory; U.S. prosecutors had asked that three decades be added onto Guzmán's punishment.

One of the only suspenseful questions that remained Wednesday was whether Guzmán, who did not speak during his long trial, would speak in court in what's expected to be his last public appearance before heading to the Supermax prison

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
5 Workers Dead, Dozens Still Missing After A Building Collapsed In South Africa
Rescue teams worked searching for dozens of construction workers buried under the rubble after a multi-story apartment complex that was being built collapsed in a coastal city in South Africa.
NPR2 min readInternational Relations
Israeli Forces Take Control Of The Gaza Side Of The Rafah Crossing With Egypt
An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge.
NPR2 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
Biden Decries Surge Of Antisemitism Since The October 7 Hamas Attacks On Israel
President Biden spoke out against harassment of Jewish students on college campuses, part of what he called a "ferocious surge of antisemitism" seen since Oct. 7.

Related Books & Audiobooks