The New York trial began on Monday under razor tight security for Joaquin "El Chapo," accused of running the world's biggest drug cartel and spending a quarter of a century smuggling more than 155 tons of cocaine into the United States. Of about 100 potential jurors, 19 were interviewed by Judge Brian Cogan early Monday, with another 20 set for the afternoon. "It's probably set up to be the most expensive trial in the history of the US," said Rob Heroy, a North Carolina lawyer who has defended other Mexican drug barons. His co-defendant Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada remains at large, and violent drug trafficking continues unabated in Mexico. Arrested for the first time in Guatemala in 1993, El Chapo spent more than seven years in a Mexican prison before his first escape in 2001.

Source: News 24 November 05, 2018 20:37 UTC