Latino

Feds warn El Chapo’s demands for outdoor time may be part of escape plot

by Brooke Seipel - 05/26/19 11:36 AM ET

Federal officials warned Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s recent request for more outdoor activity may be part of a plan to escape from prison, CNN reports.

Guzmán was found guilty in February of charges including narcotics trafficking, using a firearm in furtherance of his drug crimes and participating in a money laundering conspiracy.

He has been detained in a federal prison in New York, where his lawyers have argued he is subject to “cruel and unusual” prison conditions, such as a lack of access to fresh air and natural light and having to use toilet paper as earplugs to ignore loud prison noise. They argue he needs more outdoor time. {mosads}

The U.S. formally responded to the allegations on Thursday, saying that an attempted jailbreak took place at the prison in 1981, and because Guzmán has successfully escaped institutions in the past, outdoor time would be “problematic.”

“In this case, any outdoor exercise time would be particularly problematic for this defendant,” the US said. “The defendant has successfully planned and executed elaborate escapes from two high-security penal institutions. As detailed at trial, one of the defendant’s escapes involved the construction of a sophisticated, ventilated tunnel that stretched for over a mile. Certainly, an escape via rooftop, using a helicopter, or any related means would be elementary by comparison.”

Guzmán, who will be sentenced next month, faces life without parole for an organized crime conviction, and up to seven life sentences for drug convictions.