El Chapo Trial: Code Names, Witch doctors and The Extravagant lifestyle of El Chapo

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat 

Cooperative witness Miguel Martinez with El Chapo

Continued testimony from Miguel Martinez, Chapo’s former pilot

Money in Samsonite

From 1990 Chapo began paying Martinez a million dollar a year.

Martinez says he would walk into banks with money packed into Samsonite briefcases.  Martinez, said this caused problems, as it raised red flags.   

“I was asked if I was laundering money. I said, no.  I said  I was exporting tomatoes.”

Once the money was secured in a banking system, Martinez said he would begin making payouts on behalf of Chapo.

“Mr. Guzman had a large family.  He had four or five wives, we had to pay them all.” [Chapo was only legally married once, to his first wife who he never divorced.]

Trial evidence photo with blurred face

Extravagances seemingly without bounds

Chapo liked his cognac, beer and whiskey, Martinez said, and at one point had 4 or 5 wives and mistresses who he sometimes spied on with wire taps.

"When I met Mr. Guzman, he didn't have a jet," Martinez said. "By the 90s, Mr. Guzman already had four jets. He had houses on every single beach. He had a ranch in every single state."

Travel was global. To gamble they traveled to Macau the Asian gambling mecca, and to Switzerland for a youth treatment of cellular rejuvenation.

He gifted Martinez with a diamond crusted Rolex, and handed out cars to his workers. The cars were armored in Texas. Martinez said that one December, Chapo told him to purchase 50 cars for Christmas presents.  “Thunderbirds, Cougars, and Buicks,” he said. “You could choose among those three brands.”

He was making so much money, that he flew cash from the US back to Mexico in a fleet of Lear jets.

Chapo owned a $10 million beach house in Acapulco with a yacht moored on the coast named, "Chapito."

Money seized from Chapo's brother $1,226,354 

His sprawling ranch in Guadalajara had swimming pools, tennis courts and a zoo with exotics animals; deer, lions, panthers, crocodiles and bears, which visitors could view from a miniature train.

This lifestyle was a determent on Martinez, who doesn’t fight Jefferey Lichtman’s claim that Martinez developed a 4 gram a day cocaine habit, often snorting his coke from a gold canister with a gold spoon.  And it was true that one of the results of doing so much coke was a perforating septum.  This forced him to quit coke for a while.

Places Chapo visited:

"All of Europe"

Japan

Thailand

Cuba

Peru

Brazil

Hong Kong

Macau "to gamble"

Martinez spoke about a trip to Thailand, hoping to expand the heroin business.   He said they had a Thai connection to procure  kilos of "white" heroin in for $10K and could sell it in NYC for $130K.

The Thailand heroin deal fell through when they got busted by the DEA and PGR. Martinez said the PGR people released him when he said he worked for "Joaquin."

Tijuana War

In the afternoon Miguel Martinez alias “El Gordo” [which apparently he is no longer] testified about the AFO/El Chapo war.

The war began when the AFO killed two Chapo associates El Lobo and El Rayo in 1987.

Chapo and Rafael Aguilar met with Benjamin Arellano Felix, who denied responsibility. But Martinez asserts that Chapo wasn’t buying it and "didn't believe a word he said."

Martinez testified that Chapo had to seek permission from El Azul in order to "start mixing it up" with the AFO cartel. AFO family has been said to be related to Miguel “El Padrino” Felix Gallardo.  But much like Julio Beltran being related to the Beltran Leyvas, not true, just common alike names.

At this period of time El Azul was boss over Chapo.  Chapo revered Azul more than anyone, Azul was Chapo’s mentor.

Martinez and Chapo went to visit El Azul in prison. It was after business hours and prison guards opened the gates for them. Inside the cell block, there was a feast with "lobster, sirloin, pheasant" plus "whiskey, cognac, whatever you want to drink." There was a live band. It was a grand party.

Martinez explained his version of the 1992 Christine’s disco shootout in Puerto Vallarta, in which Chapo allegedly brought a “ truckload of sicarios to kill Benjamin Arellano Felix.

In his version Martinez says, El Chapo's plan backfired when the Arellano Felix brothers received word he was coming and turned the tables, ambushing the Sinaloa gunmen.

After the shooting where 12 were killed, "Mr. Guzman was talking to [El Azul], telling him he wanted to seek revenge for the deaths of his compadres."

El Azul gave permission to Chapo to go to war with AFO and "a few days later, the deaths started."

Martinez also testified about shootout at Guadalajara Airport and the killing of Cardinal Posadas on May 23, 1993.  The Cardinal was mistaken for Chapo who were the target of the AFO hitmen.

El Chapo became public enemy #1 and sent him into hiding, but he was arrested 1 month later in Guatemala.

Cartel Code Words:

"Organize a party" - Arrange a drug shipment

"Vino" - Jet fuel

"Muchachas" - Planes

"Camisas" - Cocaine

"Papa" - El Chapo

Emma’s Cell Drama

The motion filed,[ usethis hyperlink to see motion filed, ] by the government is redacted especially several pages where it is probably screenshot evidence from security cameras of Emma with a cell. Gov to have video evidence that shows El Chapo's wife used the phone "in concert with an attorney visit" following two trial days last week.

This filing came after a bench discussion, where judge Cogan said the explanation seemed reasonable. 

What was said is that Emma doesn’t speak English.  She was using the cell to translate and better understand what was happening in the trial.  She promised not to repeat the violation. 

Cogan wanted to deal with the cell phone issue tomorrow.  Attorney Balarezo wanted to discuss it in part today.  So they did, but ruling still has not been made and filed as of 8PM EST.   It appears however that Cogan is satisfied with the explanation.

Chapo married Maria Alejandrina Salazar Hernández [directly above] in the late 70’s. She is his legal wife.  They had 4 children, Archivaldo Ivan. Jesus Alfredo. Alejandrina Giselle and Cesar Guzman Salazar.   

Vicente Zambada is expected to testify for the government as a cooperative witness.  His sentencing date was previously in December 2018.  He has filed for and granted to have that rescheduled to February 2019.  Presumably after his stint on the El Chapo Trial witness stand.

Excluded from the trial: Direct testimony about Chapo's 2001 prison escape--in a laundry cart. The full draft copy of an autobiography he wrote.

But the jury will get to hear testimony that one of the government's cooperating witnesses often used the services of a "witch doctor."

   Vicente Zambada Sentencing in Feb by Chivis Martinez on Scribd

Other order:

ORDER as to Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera granting in part Government's Supp. Motion to Limit Cross-Examination of Cooperating Witnesses. Although defendant did not object to the Government proposed redactions, the Court disagrees with some of them. The Court, therefore, issues this opinion with limited redactions based on the following findings: (1) some of the redactions are necessary because the redacted information would reveal the witnesses' identities to anyone who knows about the redacted facts; (2) revealing these witnesses' identities would put them at risk of physical harm; (3) other redactions protect information that the Court ruled is improper cross-examination because it is irrelevant opinion evidence or because it does not bear on the witnesses' credibility, veracity, or bias; and (4) there is little public interest in accessing information that the Court has excluded because it is irrelevant opinion evidence or otherwise improper cross-examination. To protect the witnesses' identities, avoid exposing the jury to material that the Court ruled is not proper cross-examination, and provide the public with access to judicial documents, the Government is directed to file an updated public version of this order within a week after trial is over containing only those redactions necessary to protect the identity and safety of the witnesses. Ordered by Judge Brian M. Cogan on 11/26/2018