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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
William McGee & Liam Buckler

Drug lord El Chapo moans he's being mistreated in US prison and has 'no human contact'

Infamous drug lord El Chapo has claimed he's being mistreated in US prison after penning a seven-page letter bemoaning his treatment.

El Chapo, 65, was extradited from his native Mexico to the USA in January 2017 after he was sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison.

The drug lord, real name Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, was found guilty in February 2019 of 10 charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering.

He has been held in a maximum-security prison in Florence, Colorado, but in a remarkable seven-page rant he claims his treatment there is unfair.

The letter, written in English, said: "Due to the treatment at ADMAX, now I suffer from headaches, memory loss, muscle cramps, stress and depression."

He was sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison (Newsflash)
The drug lord claims his treatment at the prison is unfair (@MonRamirezCano/Newsflash)

He added: "The treatment I receive is cruel and unfair, and it is causing me to suffer from psychological and health problems. I pray that this court intervenes."

The court El Chapo referred to is where in October last year he appealed against his conviction. The court upheld his sentence in January this year.

El Chapo previously complained that his pre-trial detention in the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York was a "24-hour torture".

And in his new home, El Chapo described how he spends most of the day in a cell measuring seven by 12 feet with only a small window through which he is served his meals.

He was found guilty in February 2019 of 10 charges related to drug trafficking and money laundering. (AFP/Getty Images)

He complained in his letter: "I am ruled out of having any verbal contact or communication with other prisoners.

"I have no human contact, other than when the guards put on and take off my shackles."

He went on: "Since my arrival in the United States, I have not been allowed to speak to my wife."

Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman (AFP/Getty Images)

This is because El Chapo's wife Emma Coronel is also in jail, in Texas, where she is serving a three-year sentence and is not due to be released until 13th September next year.

The drug lord protested: "I have suffered a lot being in solitary confinement.

"My blood pressure has risen, leading to headaches and anxiety. Sometimes I forget things."

He added: "They serve me little food and I often stay hungry."

Of the "extremely hot" air that comes out of the ventilation for 15 minutes between four and five times at night, waking him up.

"El Chapo" spends most of the day in a cell measuring seven by 12 feet (AFP via Getty Images)

He wrote: "Every night this causes my heart to start beating rapidly, raising my blood pressure.

"I have raised this issue with staff, but no one has done anything."

He added: "Even though I don't share a cell and am in my cell 24 hours a day, prison officials enter my cell several times a week to do routine searches, when they move and touch all my belongings."

Four of El Chapo's children are currently wanted by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration for their alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

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