The wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin Guzmán Loera nicknamed “El Chapo” was arrested on Monday in relation to her alleged involvement in international drug trafficking.
The US Justice Department announced that Emma Coronel Aispuro, aged 31 was apprehended in Dulles International Airport, Virginia.
According to a news release by the Department, she is facing charges of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana and 500 grams or more of methamphetamines, and for unlawful importation into the country.
It is suspected that since 2017, Coronel willfully conspired with Guzmán and others to distribute drugs.
Coronel, who is of both US and Mexican descent, is expected to make her initial appearance today in a US District Court in Washington, DC, virtually.
Prosecutors claim that she conspired with others to assist her husband in his July 11, 2015, escape from a prison in Mexico.
Also, Coronel allegedly was involved in planning yet another escape from prison in 2016 before he was finally extradited to the US in 2017.
El Chapo was convicted by a jury and is expected to serve out his sentence in the US’ most secure federal prison in Florence, Colorado.
Meanwhile, El Chapo and Coronel have been married since 2007. The FBI alleges that her father, Ines, was a member of Guzmán’s drug cartel.
