Lawyers question possible jurors for ‘El Chapo’

Jury selection is ongoing in New York this week for the trial of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, one of the world’s most notorious alleged drug lords. Guzman is accused of a violent reign of terror as head of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel. Last year, Mexico extradited Guzman to the United States, where he faces 17 criminal counts, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit murder. He faces a possible life sentence in a U.S. prison.

Guzman made international headlines with his daring escapes from Mexican prisons. As jury selection began in Brooklyn, officials took no chances. Heavily armed guards stood watch outside the courthouse, and bomb-sniffing dogs circled the building. Police have shut down traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge each time officials transported Guzman from his cell to the courthouse for pretrial hearings. And as another layer of security, the names of the jurors and most of the prosecution witnesses will remain secret. On Monday and Tuesday, attorneys dismissed 27 possible jurors, many of whom said they already had opinions about Guzman or they feared for their safety if they served on the jury.