Update!

Wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison on Drug Trafficking Charges

In February, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's wife was arrested on drug trafficking charges. She was previously suspected of aiding in his 2015 escape from prison.

By Cydney Contreras, Lindsay Weinberg Dec 01, 2021 1:52 AMTags
Emma Coronel Aispuro, El Chapo WifeKENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

UPDATE: The wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was sentenced on Tuesday, Nov. 30, to three years in prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice obtained by E! News. 

Emma Coronel Aispuro's sentence will be followed by four years of supervised release due to "charges related to international drug trafficking, money laundering and a criminal violation of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (the Kingpin Act)." In June, she pleaded guilty to a three-count criminal information.

Aispuro conspired with her husband—who the department described as "a leader of the Mexican drug-trafficking organization known as the Sinaloa Cartel"—to bring drugs into the U.S. 

Per the press release, she trafficked cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana, and was a co-conspirator of the cartel's activities from about 2011 to 2017. 

Authorities added, "U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras also entered a forfeiture money judgment against Coronel Aispuro in the amount of $1,499,970, representing proceeds of and property obtained by Coronel Aispuro as a result of her drug-trafficking activities."

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Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's wife has been arrested on drug trafficking charges.

According to a Department of Justice news release, Emma Coronel Aispuro was arrested at a Virginia airport on Monday, Feb. 22. The 31-year-old wife of the notorious drug kingpin is accused of participating in an international drug trafficking operation.

Aispuro, a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen, faces charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation into the U.S. 

She will make a virtual appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Guzman's wife is also accused of helping to coordinate his July 11, 2015 escape from Altiplano prison, located in Juarez, Mexico, per the DOJ press release.

During this time, Sean Penn visited El Chapo at his hideout, where he conducted a controversial and wide-ranging interview about the drug lord's life and crimes.

The interview was published one day after the infamous drug trafficker was arrested in January 2016. El Chapo was subsequently taken back to prison, at which point Aispuro and others allegedly began planning a second escape for Guzman.

KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images

Ultimately, the Sinaloa drug cartel leader was extradited to the United States in 2017, where he was convicted of 17 charges.

Guzman is now serving life in prison, plus 30 years, at ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado. 

Aispuro, a former beauty queen, is Guzman's fifth wife. The pair married in 2007, when she was just 18 years old. Together, they share two twin daughters, Maria Joaquina and Emali Guadalupe.

This article was originally published on Feb. 22, 2021, at 4:33 p.m. PST. It was last updated on Nov. 30, 2021, at 5:45 p.m. PST.