After a surreal first week that included an accusation against the Mexican president, a drug tunnel tour and a telling off from the judge, the trial of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is continuing in Brooklyn.
Finally in court in the US, Guzmán is facing 17 counts related to drugs trafficking and while he doesn’t deny being a member of the Sinaloa cartel, Guzmán’s defense team is insistent that he was never its leader.
In a bid to prove otherwise, the prosecution has amassed thousands of pieces of evidence and going through them is expected to take a whopping four months.
Here are five key talking points from week two...
The Diamond-Encrusted Pistol
The jurors kicked their week off with a third day of evidence from Jesus Zambada, a former Sinaloa cartel member who has struck a deal with the prosecution.
As Zambada described how the cartel traditionally responds to violent threats, the court was shown pictures of a diamond-encrusted pistol, decorated with Guzmán’s initials:
The Level Of Secrecy In The Courtroom Is Unprecedented
Following talk of witnesses being told to limit their comments on certain issues, a secret government memo was issued to the judge. Its exact contents remain unknown to the public – and the defence – as the transcript of a “sidebar” conversation about it, between the prosecutors and judge, was sealed as soon as they’d stopped talking, according to the NYT.
In a bid to ensure their safety, the jurors are anonymous and not even sitting in the courtroom, and this week it was decided that the court artists are not allowed to sketch some of the witnesses.
And The Queues To Get In Are Huge
Anyone hoping to spend a day watching the proceedings needs to arrive at the courthouse long before things begin. Members of the public have typically been turning up at about 6.45am and everyone who makes it to the front of the queue is then subject to multiple security checks – more intense than ones required before getting on a plane.
After going through a metal detector, handing over their phones, having belongings scanned, going through another metal detector and (finally) walking past a bomb-sniffing dog, the first 50 people in the queue can take a seat in the main courtroom.
The second 50 can then sit in an overflow courtroom next door and watch the trial on television screens.
A Witness Claimed Guzmán Once Killed Someone For Refusing To Shake Hands
Zambada’s testimony was full of numerous jaw-dropping claims and while detailing how the cartel does things, he claimed that Guzmán took issue with one man who wasn’t quite polite enough at a meeting.
Rival gang leader Rodolfo Carrillo died in 2004 and while it’s long been claimed Guzmán was responsible, Zambada added that the cartel leader allegedly ordered his death because he had once declined to shake hands.
Guzmán’s defense lawyers claim Zambada – and the other ex-cartel members set to testify against him – are lying in a bid to get shorter sentences for their own crimes.
Oh, And Guzmán Did Get A Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner
Just in case you were wondering. The courthouse was closed for the day, giving everyone involved (apart from the defendant) a chance to rest and spend time with their families. But it’s been confirmed that the maximum-security facility Guzmán is being held at did serve a special dinner.
A spokesperson told the New York Post that Guzmán – who doesn’t actually celebrate the US holiday – was served a meal that included “turkey roast” and “turkey gravy”.
The trial continues.