Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loeram, known commonly as 'El Chapo' in reference to his short stature, is considered to have been the most powerful drug trafficker in the world. The Mexican-born kingpin matched the influence and wealth of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and is currently serving a life sentence at the maximum-security federal prison ADX Florence after finally being recaptured in a shoot-out with Mexican authorities in 2016, later extraditing him to the U.S. According to reports, prosecutors are prepared to offer the drug dealer's wife Emma Coronel Aispuro and her 9-year-old twin daughters a new life under witness protection in exchange for information on the Sinaloa Cartel, which her husband presided over.
According to DEA agent Mike Vigil, "Prosecutors will dangle witness protection in front of Emma Coronel. That is without question." Aispuro was recently arrested on drug charges at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Her mug shot was released last Tuesday (February 23).
"Authorities will offer it simply because of the amount of information she can provide against the Sinaloa cartel," Vigil continued. "She knows the identities of the upper echelon on the cartel, the drug trafficking routes they use, how they smuggle drugs and how they manufacture drugs."
"Crucially, she can provide a lot of information that can lead to US-based indictments against Sinaloa cartel members. And this would not bode for them very well. [...] She also knows which Mexican government officials Chapo Guzman and now the Sinaloa cartel were paying off for protection."
Vigil later explained, "She would have to go through a psychological exam. She would get a brand new identity, passport, driver's license, the works. She would get a script of her new life that she must learn for her fictitious back story."
He added, "She would be placed in a secret location, helped with a place to live and given a small amount of money before she found work. She would have her twins with her, but it would mean absolutely no contact with other family."
We'll keep you updated on further developments in the case.
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