El Chapo supporters lament guilty verdict

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Many Sinaloans continue to compare EL CHAPO with a modern Robin Hood.

CULIACÁN.-The guilty plea of ​​the legendary Mexican drug lord, Joaquín ‘ El Chapo’ Guzmán, traveled quickly to his home state, – Sinaloa -, where locals said they felt sorry for a man whom many consider a popular hero and community benefactor.

Guzmán was found guilty of trafficking tons of drugs to the United States for more than two decades, consolidating his power in Mexico through assassinations and wars with rival cartels.

The reaction to the fall of the capo in Sinaloa, home to remote mountainous towns and sunny beaches along the Mexican Pacific coast, went from lament to resignation.

“This is going to continue, nobody is stopping him from drug trafficking, even if they have seized him, or given that life sentence that they think he deserves, because nothing is going to change here in Mexico,” said Gildardo Velázquez in the heat. capital of Sinaloa, Culiacán.

A sense of sadness among some locals surfaced when word of the jury’s decision was released in Brooklyn federal court.

“As a Sinaloan, yes, it hurt, it’s the truth,” said a gray-haired man wearing a baseball cap, who described himself as a native of Badiraguato, Guzmán’s hometown, but refused to give your name

“We know that here near Badiraguato helped many people, (built) roads, schools, churches, yes, they will suffer, because there is lack of support, because the government does not give the support that is required,” he added.

Guzman will not be formally sentenced until June 25, although prosecutors said they expect him to receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The drug trafficker emerged from the same humble origins in Sinaloa that many other important Mexican drug lords produced. After escaping prison twice – in 2001 and 2015 – he was recaptured in early 2016, and a year later extradited to the United States for trial.

Chapo make me a baby

Despite the bloody details emanating from the trial, which included the testimony of more than 50 witnesses, many local residents still compare him to a modern Robin Hood, ignoring the murder and chaos he left behind.

Others expressed fear that the anarchy in all Mexico will grow as the old rivals fight for the space that remained after Guzmán was found guilty of 10 charges filed against him.

“I imagine it can be counterproductive,” said Carlos, a younger man who wore headphones and refused to give his last name. “There are more people who want to control all that, all that El Chapo handled.”

Source: El Financiero

The Mazatlan Post