In a new desperate attempt to overturn his conviction, Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in Florence, Colorado, ditched his legal team and started representing himself.
As revealed by a series of letters pinned by the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Guzmán is not only requesting a new trial, but also changes in the conditions of his confinement, which he described as a "great torture, 24 hours a day."
According to Guzman's letters, the lawyers representing him had the "evidence needed to confront authorities but did not do it." He claimed their inefficiency cost him his freedom.
Guzman, who doesn't read or write in English, has been busy writing hundreds of letters directed to authorities, in which he scrutinizes evidence used against him and the overall procedure of his case. According to El Pais, a legal assistant helps him translate his thoughts.
Guzman argues in his letters that his trial was riddled with "inconsistencies," that prosecutors instructed the criminals who testified against him to "lie," and that he was denied effective counsel due to his attorneys' performance.
The drug lord also sent clemency requests to Judge Brian Cogan, who sentenced him to life in prison. "I often see President Biden [...] speaking against discrimination and racism," Guzman wrote. "I'm sure you think like him, as a humane person. If not, the president wouldn't have you in his Cabinet, and I ask you for a great favor to help me."
Guzman also requested medical attention, more time outside of his cell and visitation rights for his wife Emma Coronel. According to Guzmán, he is only permitted monthly calls to his daughters and sister. "There is no justification for keeping me in these cruel and inhumane conditions," he wrote to the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) earlier this year.
Most recently, Guzman wrote some letters discrediting Vicente 'Vicentillo Zambada, son of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, who he claims was the "number one witness" used against him. "He [himself] said in court that the Mexican and United States governments campaigned against Guzmán to inflate his image, only to bring him down," wrote Guzmán, claiming his case was plagued by political interests.
"There's too much politics in my case. I respectfully ask that you base your judgment on Guzmán's behavior, not on what the media says," he wrote in third person as his own legal representative. Legal experts however, suggest his chances of success are slim.
Guzmán's team previously sought a retrial in 2019 after a report that jurors were following media coverage of the proceedings, but judge Brian Cogan rejected the request saying a "mountain range of evidence" against the trafficker strongly countered his attorneys' claims that jurors engaged in misconduct.
Jeffrey Litchman, one of Guzman's former lawyers, is currently representing his sons Ovidio Guzmán López and Joaquín Guzmán López, who are also imprisoned in the U.S. Ovidio was captured in 2023 and Joaquín turned himself in to authorities back in July.
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