Jury Continues Deliberations on Second Day in ‘El Chapo’ Trial, Reports Reuters

By Brendan Pierson and Gabriella Borter

NEW YORK – Jurors in the U.S. trial of alleged Mexican drug cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman commenced their second day of deliberations in a federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Guzman, 61, stands accused of heading Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, recognized as one of the world’s most potent drug trafficking organizations. He has made headlines for escaping prison in Mexico on two occasions and faces the potential of a life sentence in a U.S. prison if found guilty.

The trial, which lasted 11 weeks and included testimony from more than 50 witnesses, provided an extraordinary insight into the operations of the cartel, which is named after the region in northwest Mexico where Guzman was born in a modest mountain village.

Prosecutors allege that Guzman trafficked vast amounts of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine into the United States over the course of more than two decades, solidifying his control in Mexico through violence and conflicts with rival cartels.

In contrast, the defense contended that Guzman was being scapegoated by Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a prominent drug lord from Sinaloa who remains on the run.

The jury, composed of 12 members—seven women and five men—began their deliberations on Monday afternoon after receiving guidance from U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan. For security reasons, the jurors’ identities have not been disclosed. At least three jurors are immigrants, three speak Spanish, and several have connections to law enforcement.

Most members were aware of Guzman prior to the trial but claimed they could remain impartial, except for one woman from Ethiopia who stated she had "no clue" who he was.

On Monday afternoon, the jury sent two notes to the judge with legal inquiries. In the first note, they asked whether a "drug war" could be classified as "part of a drug trafficking crime" with specific reference to a weapons charge. The jurors had been presented with extensive testimony about lethal conflicts between Guzman and rival traffickers during the trial.

One of the ten criminal charges against Guzman involves the use of weapons in connection with drug offenses. Judge Cogan instructed the jury that they should not weigh the weapons charge until they had determined Guzman’s guilt on one of four drug-related counts. He noted that they could consider evidence about drug wars while evaluating those charges.

In the second note, the jury inquired if "ephedrine is considered methamphetamine."

Witnesses testified that ephedrine is a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamine. Cogan advised the jurors to reference the evidence presented during the trial to draw their conclusions.