Drug lord El Chapo moans ‘unfair treatment’ and ‘health problems’ in US jail

Infamous drug lord El Chapo has claimed he is being mistreated in the American supermax prison he's currently being held in.

El Chapo – real name Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera – has written a seven-page letter saying he's suffering from memory loss, headaches, depression and cramps.

The former kingpin was sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison after being found guilty in February 2019 of 10 charges relating to money laundering and drug trafficking.

He was extradited from Mexico to the USA in January 2017.

Since being sentenced, he has been held in a maximum-security prison in Florence, Colorado, which he now says is treating him unfairly.

El Chapo, now 65, penned the extraordinary letter in English, writing: "Due to the treatment at ADMAX, now I suffer from headaches, memory loss, muscle cramps, stress and depression.

"The treatment I receive is cruel and unfair, and it is causing me to suffer from psychological and health problems.

"I pray that this court intervenes."

El Chapo referred to the court where he appealed against his conviction in October last year – which they upheld in January this year.

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He previously complained that he was living in "24-hour torture" during his stay at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in New York.

The former drug lord now described his new abode as a cell measuring seven by 12 feet with just a small window in which he is served his meals.

"I am ruled out of having any verbal contact or communication with other prisoners," he complained.

"I have no human contact, other than when the guards put on and take off my shackles."

He added: "Since my arrival in the United States, I have not been allowed to speak to my wife."

His wife, Emma Coronel, is also currently in jail serving a three-year sentence.

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She is not expected to be released from the Texas prison until September next year.

The drug lord protested: "I have suffered a lot being in solitary confinement. My blood pressure has risen, leading to headaches and anxiety. Sometimes I forget things."

He added: "They serve me little food and I often stay hungry."

El Chapo claims that "extremely hot" air comes out of the ventilation every 15 minutes between four and five times a night, which wakes him up.

He penned "Every night this causes my heart to start beating rapidly, raising my blood pressure. I have raised this issue with staff, but no one has done anything.

"Even though I don't share a cell and am in my cell 24 hours a day, prison officials enter my cell several times a week to do routine searches, when they move and touch all my belongings."

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