Caden Munson

ISM Period 7
Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's trial: From shocking to bizarre
February 4th, 2019
Summary
As El Chapo’s trial progresses, new and terrifying details emerge that speak to the
violence and brutality of the famous Sinaloa cartel boss. Not only was El Chapo the leader of the
largest and most profitable Mexican cartel, but he was also brutally violent towards everyone
around him. He would beat members of rival cartels for hour or even days strait only to execute
them and throw them into a bonfire. Furthermore, he would have someone send him girls of his
choosing, some as young as 13, for him to drug and rape. Fortunately, El Chapo was captured by
the Mexican Marines and a joint US-Mexican taskforce and imprisoned. However, he would go
on to escape prison twice, once though an underground tunnel and once through a laundry basket
by bribing the guards. El Chapo used his extensive wealth to bride the prison guards and even the
ex-president of Mexico to end his manhunt. He also enjoyed spending his wealth by buying off
top Mexican officials to ensure his drug business ran smoothly. When he wasn’t buying off
politicians he was spending his money on yachts, a private zoo, gold plated AK-47s, rocket
launchers, and multiple million dollar houses. Funding his life came at a huge cost to the
American people as four of his coke shipments alone provided enough drugs for each person in
the United States to have their own line of coke. Just to demonstrate the size of Chapo’s
operations, he once sunk a 20 ton shipment of coke and heroin to avoid authorities, that loss
would have costed Chapo more than a billion dollars street value.
Project Topic Connection
This topic connects to my project because they are both over the same subject: trials. My
project is going to be over what happens in a normal trial so it can apply to more people. The
article works as an example of what can be uncovered in a trial and how everything in a
defendant’s life is discovered. Together my project and this article will work together to give the
unknowing reader a good sense of what goes on in a court room. I wanted to do this because I
feel that a large portion of the United Sates don’t know how the justice system works and suffer
because of it. While not all court cases are as dramatic as the Chapo trial, it the best example to
provide a blueprint for the normal working of a court.
Personal Response
At first, I was horrified at what El Chapo was actually doing while he was the head of the
cartel. The immense acts of violence and cruelty that he committed were inhumane and I struggle
to fathom how any human being is capable that level of violence. However, at the end of the
article I came to realize the massive scale of the cartels. Not only are they capable of producing
enough illegal cocaine to supply a whole continent, but they are able to bribe politicians up to the
president. Furthermore, the amount of profit they are able to achieve is unbelievable. El Chapo
was able to destroy 20 tons of illegal drugs and still operate his empire. Unfortunately, he didn’t
do this peacefully and the only way to keep his empire together is through violence and paranoia.
 Caden Munson
ISM Period 7
While undeniably successful, El Chapo’s way of life was unsustainable and could only have
ended in a couple ways: death or jail.

MLA Citation
McGarret, Steve. “Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán's Trial: From Shocking to Bizarre.” BBC News,
BBC, 4 Feb. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46282173.