Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the drug kingpin who violently rose to lead the infamous Sinaloa Cartel and at one point was named by the US as the "world's most powerful drug trafficker," was convicted Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn.

After deliberating for about six days, the jury found Guzmán guilty on all counts. The jury of eight women and four men heard 200 hours of testimony during the monthslong trial.

Guzmán, whose nickname means "Shorty," was found guilty of 10 charges, including conspiracy to launder proceeds from narcotic proceeds and engaging in a criminal enterprise. He now faces life in prison.



"Guzman Loera's bloody reign atop the Sinaloa Cartel has come to an end, and the myth that he could not be brought to justice has been laid to rest," U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said in a statement. "Today, Guzman Loera has been held accountable for the tons of illegal narcotics he trafficked for more than two decades, the murders he ordered and committed, and the billions of dollars he reaped while causing incalculable pain and suffering to those devastated by his drugs."



Not only was Guzmán suspected of trafficking cocaine into the US in the tons, but stories of his violent exploits, and his ability to twice escape from high-security prisons in Mexico, launched his notoriety from infamy to Hollywoodesque celebrity.



His monthslong trial in New York offered a glimpse into the narco's life as the head of one of Mexico's most violent cartels, including allegations of bribing Mexican presidents, naked escapes, violent murders, diamond-encrusted pistols, and high-tech surveillance.

"Joaquin Guzman Loera has been a DEA target from his early days as a transporter, to his role as distributor, and finally head of the most feared cartel in the world - the Sinaloa Cartel," said Ray Donovan, the Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division and head of the 22-agency team that pursued Guzmán. "Chapo's escapes only made us more determined to bring him to the United States to face multiple charges on multiple indictments. And Today's conviction brings justice to not only New Yorkers who lived in a city the Sinaloa Cartel used as a drug distribution hub, but it brings justice to victims of overdose deaths nationwide."

Guzmán evaded authorities in Mexico for years as head of the Sinaloa Cartel, even managing to escape high-security prisons in 2001 and 2015 to the embarrassment of the Mexican government.