“Welcome To New York” – Cartel Chief’s Trial Underway

Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the notorious Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo, had a Houdini-like talent for escape and a preternatural ability to evade capture when he was on the run, but a pretty mundane weak spot finally cost him his freedom. Having heard himself extolled in numerous “narcocorridas” (ballads about his exploits) on the radio, he began to have dreams of world-class show biz celebrity. The heroine of a Mexican soap opera with whom he was acquainted, who in turn was acquainted with Sean Penn, arranged an interview for him with the Hollywood star. El Chapo knew it was risky but he hoped it would eventuate in a film. Investigators got wind of the interview, tracked Penn to the rendevous, and captured El Chapo a few days later. After his arrest he was put on a plane and flown to a destination unknown to him. It wasn’t Hollywood. Upon landing, he nervously asked one of his captors where they were. Bienenidos a New York, was the reply. Now his trial is underway in Brooklyn. It is expected to last four months, and when it’s over he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars. Unless Donald Trump pardons him.