"For years, the authorities have cracked down on the alleged leaders of criminal groups, but it has served no purpose. If you were to go after the politicians who allowed this, then it would be something else," said Mariel Colón in a statement to Business Insider.
He further added that El Chapo is aware that he can be a "tool" of politics by the US and Mexican governments. "Every American president has his own trophy. Trump had Chapo. Behind him, Biden has his trophy. It has always been political.
Meanwhile, during the trial, El Chapo named several Mexican presidents, police chiefs and high-ranking military officers as being involved in the drug trade.
In 2019, El Chapo was sentenced to life in prison on multiple drug-related charges. Since then, he has been held in solitary confinement at ADX Florence, a Colorado prison considered the most secure in the US.
He is allowed only one hour of air time per day and only 15 minutes of phone calls per month, with 3 people previously controlled by the US government, his mother, one of his sisters and his youngest child.
Guzmán's treatment in this way, which lawyers say is inhumane and the result of a political vendetta, is intended to prevent him from escaping and engaging in illegal activities, but even though he has been behind bars since January 2016 , the business of the Sinaloa Cartel continues to thrive.