El Chapo trial: Joaquín Guzman joked about arming infant daughter with AK47 in texts to wife, court hears

Trial of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman is expected to last four months

'El Chapo' Guzman's legal team arrives at court

The trial of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo“ Guzman continues in Brooklyn, New York, and is expected to last into early 2019.

This is the first time a major Mexican drug lord has been tried in a US court and pleaded not guilty. The trial has become increasingly tense in recent days, as Guzman’s attorney seeks to undermine testimonies from major drug traffickers.

Guzman, 61, faces a 17 count indictment that covers nearly three decades of alleged criminal activities. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Follow updates form the trial as they happened

Agencies contributed to this report

[13 November 2018 14:10 · Chris Stevenson]

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the trial alleged drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman which is due to begin in New York in about 30 minutes.

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[13 November 2018 14:12 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is a primer for the trail, which is taking place amid "unprecedented" security measures.

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[13 November 2018 14:12 · Chris Stevenson]

Federal prosecutors say that as leader of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman, 61, directed massive shipments of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine bound for the United States. He faces 17 criminal counts and a potential life sentence if convicted.

Guzman has denied all the charges.

[13 November 2018 14:14 · Chris Stevenson]

Arriving for court this morning, Guzman's lawyer, Eduardo Balarezo says it is up the jury to decide whether the US government has a strong case against his client.

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[13 November 2018 14:48 · Chris Stevenson]

Here is a history of Guzman ahead of the trial:

[13 November 2018 15:16 · Chris Stevenson]

A jury of seven women and five men will decide the fate of Guzman once the trail has run its course.

[13 November 2018 15:26 · Chris Stevenson]

There were a number of issues with the jury selection for the trial. Some potential jurors said they feared for their lives, while one had a panic attack.

[13 November 2018 15:34 · Chris Stevenson]

There has been intense interest in the trial, with the queue to get inside the courthouse for day one evidence of that.

 

[13 November 2018 15:42 · Chris Stevenson]

Inside the courtroom is Emma Coronel Aispuro, Guzman's wife.

Last week, a judge denied a request for Guzman to hug his wife before opening arguments begin in the trial.

[13 November 2018 17:48 · Lucy Anna Gray]

A lawyer for the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" says he's ready to defend his client and has nothing to prove. 

Eduardo Balarezo spoke to journalists while entering the highly secured Brooklyn federal courthouse where Joaquin Guzman is being tried. 

One of the jurors was excused shortly before opening statements were set to begin. The reason was unclear. 

The lawyers and judge have been working to select a replacement. It's not known how long that will take.