Wife Of 'El Chapo' Arrested On Drug Trafficking Charges At Dulles

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, was arrested at Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County on charges related to international drug trafficking, the U.S. Department of Justice said Monday.

According to court documents, Coronel Aispuro, a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen, is charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation into the U.S.

She also allegedly conspired with others to assist Guzman Loera in his July 11, 2015, escape from Altiplano prison in Almoloya de Juarez, Mexico. After Guzman was re-arrested in Mexico in January 2016, Coronel Aispuro allegedly took part in the planning of another prison escape prior to Guzman’s extradition to the United States in January 2017, according to the Department of Justice.

Guzman escaped through an entry under the shower in his cell to a mile-long lighted tunnel with a motorcycle on rails. Coronel Aispuro played a key role in Guzman's escape from prison, prosecutors said. The plot included purchasing a piece of land near the prison, firearms and an armored truck.

Aispuro is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia via video conference.

Guzman Loera was the leader of the organization known as the Sinaloa Cartel. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 after being found guilty by a jury in the Eastern District of New York for his role as a leader of the drug cartel.

His cartel was responsible for smuggling large amounts of cocaine and other drugs into the United States over a 25-year span, according to prosecutors.

Cornel Aispuro is charged in a one count criminal complaint with a conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, and 500 grams or more of methamphetamines for unlawful importation into the U.S, according to the Justice Department.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office is investigating the case. Acting Deputy Chief Anthony Nardozzi and trial attorney Kate Wagner of the Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case.