Advertisement

Drug kingpin El Chapo's defiant last words as he's sentenced to life in prison

Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman has been sentenced to life behind bars in a US prison, a humbling end for a drug lord once notorious for his ability to kill, bribe or tunnel his way out of trouble.

A federal judge in Brooklyn handed down the sentence five months after Guzman's conviction in an epic drug trafficking case.

The 62-year-old, who had been protected in Mexico by an army of gangsters and an elaborate corruption operation, was brought to the US to stand trial after he twice escaped from Mexican prisons.

Before he was sentenced on Wednesday, Guzman complained about the conditions of his confinement and told the judge he was denied a fair trial.

He said US District Judge Brian Cogan failed to thoroughly investigate claims of juror misconduct.

"My case was stained and you denied me a fair trial when the whole world was watching," Guzman said in court through an interpreter.

epa07722617 (FILE) - Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman escorted by authorities after his detention, in Mexico City, Mexico, 08 May 2016 (reissued 17 July 2019). A New York Federal Court on 17 July 2019 sentenced Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman to life plus 30 years in prison and ordered in to pay 12.6 billion US dollars in forfeiture.  EPA/JOSE MENDEZ *** Local Caption *** 54980159
El Chapo has been sentenced to life in prison. Source: AAP

"When I was extradited to the United States, I expected to have a fair trial, but what happened was exactly the opposite."

The harsh sentence was pre-ordained. The guilty verdict in February at Guzman's 11-week trial triggered a mandatory sentence of life without parole.

Cogan also ordered Guzman to pay $US12.6 billion ($A18 billion) in ill-gotten proceeds – money his drug-trafficking organisation made distributing cocaine and other drugs around the US.

The evidence showed that under Guzman's orders, the Sinaloa cartel was responsible for smuggling mountains of cocaine and other drugs into the United States during his 25-year reign, prosecutors said in court papers recapping the trial.

They also said his "army of sicarios" was under orders to kidnap, torture and murder anyone who got in his way.

Guzman largely cut off from outside world

The defence argued he was framed by other traffickers who became government witnesses so they could get breaks in their own cases.

Guzman has been largely cut off from the outside world since his extradition in 2017 and his remarks in the courtroom could be the last time the public hears from him.

Guzman thanked his family for giving him "the strength to bear this torture that I have been under for the past 30 months".

FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2014, file photo, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted to a helicopter in handcuffs by Mexican navy marines at a navy hanger in Mexico City. Guzman, who was convicted in February 2019 on multiple conspiracy counts in an epic drug-trafficking case, was sentenced to life behind bars in a U.S. prison, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, File)
The public may never hear from El Chapo again as he will largely live in isolation. Source: AAP

Wary of his history of escaping from Mexican prisons, US authorities have kept him in solitary confinement in an ultra-secure unit at a Manhattan jail.

Guzman has also been kept under close guard at his appearances at the Brooklyn courthouse where his case unfolded.

Experts say he will likely wind up at the federal government's Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies".

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, download the Yahoo News app from App store or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.