By Alexander Parisel, Tywanna Webb and Austin Santiago
“If you don’t believe the cooperators who testified, then you can’t convict Mr. Guzman,” said Defense Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman in his closing arguments Thursday morning. Lichtman represents Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as El Chapo, in the United States of America vs. Joaquín Guzmán Loera, a trial that is taking place in the federal courthouse in Brooklyn.
Guzmán was charged in a 17-count indictment alleging that between January of 1989 and December of 2014 he led a criminal enterprise responsible for importing and distributing massive amounts of illegal narcotics into the United States, as well as conspiring to murder persons who posed threats to Loera’s alleged cartel.
According to the indictment and other court filings, El Chapo and Ismael Zambada García are said to have been the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, which is named after the Sinaloa region in Mexico and is suspected of having imported more than 200 metric tons of cocaine into the United States. Moreover, as one of the alleged leaders of the cartel, Guzmán is alleged to have overseen the cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana smuggling activities by the enterprise to wholesale distributors in New York, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, as well as various locations in Arizona and elsewhere.
Lichtman argued in his closing speech that Zambada Garcia is the actual leader of the Sinaloa Cartel and not his client. In addition, the defense attorney made the point that Guzmán is simply the fall guy and that Zambada had bribed Mexican officials and thus was not targeted by law enforcement.
“Remember how the witnesses lied on the stand, remember how they’ve lied their entire lives,” said Lichtman, addressing the jury in his closing arguments. Moreover, the defense attorney argued that most of the 56 witnesses, brought in by the federal prosecution, are cooperating with law enforcement in order to receive lesser sentences for crimes they committed.
Lichtman went as far as to refer to the various testimonies that seem to incriminate his client as “a bunch of bull,” “garbage,” and “pathetic.”
If Guzmán is convicted, he might receive a life sentence in a maximum-security prison.
Daniel Marquardt is a young man who has been following the trial. When asked if he felt El Chapo warranted the attention he has been receiving, he said, “It is natural he’s receiving attention, but his conviction doesn’t affect the drug trade. He’s one fish in a big sea.”
Based on the evidence presented by the U.S. prosecution, represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Goldbarg, Guzmán is the biggest fish in the sea. But Marquardt might still be right in his assertion that El Chapo’s conviction will not affect drug trade.
As for its effect on U.S.-Mexican relations, one observer said the trial will have little to none. “I do not see any impact of the case on the U.S and Mexican relation,” said Professor Howard Abadinski, who is a Criminal Justice professor at St. John’s University. “Sure, it is a big case but in the end it is just a case.”
Early next week, the jury is expected to begin deliberations.
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