U.S. Judge Sets April 2018 Trial Date for Mexican Drug Lord El Chapo Guzman The Associated Press
go to original May 6, 2017

'El Chapo' gets April 2018 Trial Date in US (Straits Times)

A U.S. judge on Friday set an April 2018 trial date for Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman on charges he oversaw a multibillion-dollar international drug trafficking organization responsible for murders and kidnappings.

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan first suggested during a pretrial hearing in Brooklyn that a trial could occur earlier next year, but he settled on April 16 after acknowledging the difficulty defence lawyers are having communicating with Guzman in a federal lockup in Manhattan where he is subjected to solitary confinement.

Defence lawyers complained they are separated by glass or a screen from Guzman during meetings, hindering communications. The judge said the matter will be investigated.

In a written ruling a day earlier, Cogan let the government keep most restrictions in place for a defendant famous for twice escaping from prison in Mexico, including once through a milelong tunnel stretching from the shower in his cell.

The U.S. government has said severe restrictions are necessary for Guzman in part because he used coded messages, bribes and other means to arrange escapes and continue directing his drug empire from behind bars.

Guzman was brought to the U.S. in January. He has pleaded not guilty.

Read the rest at The Globe and Mail

Related: El Chapo Seeks to Keep Public Defenders, at Taxpayer Expense (WPIX )

Related: US Allows Drug Lord to Write to Wife from Behind Bars (Agence France-Presse)

Related: Mexico After El Chapo: New Generation Fights for Control of the Cartel (The Guardian)

Related: U.S. Has Not Found 'One Dollar' of Drug Lord El Chapo's Assets: Official (Reuters)

Related: El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel Thanks Donald Trump for Pushing Up Profits (Inquisitr)

Related: Still a Danger, US Judge Rules 'El Chapo' Must Remain in Solitary Confinement (Deutsche Welle)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!