Emma Coronel, wife of ‘El Chapo' Guzmán, leaves prison

Emma Coronel, wife of Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was released Wednesday after serving part of her three-year sentence in a United States federal prison for drug trafficking, as confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to Noticias Telemundo .

"We can confirm that Emma Coronel Aispuro was released from the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons today, September 13, 2023. For privacy and security reasons, the FBOP does not provide additional information about individuals who are no longer in its custody," agency spokesperson Randilee Giamusso explained in an email.

According to the FBOP website, Emma Coronel Aispuro, 34, had a prison release date of Sept. 13. She was in a federal halfway house south of Los Angeles for people who are about to be released.

"El Chapo" Guzmán, one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world, led the Sinaloa cartel, responsible for trafficking cocaine and other drugs to the United States for more than 25 years.

In Mexico, Guzmán became a legend after escaping from prison twice. In 2017, however, he was extradited to the U.S. and is now serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

THE CASE AGAINST THE WIFE OF "EL CHAPO"

On Nov. 30, 2021, Coronel was sentenced to three years in prison in a U.S. federal court on charges related to drug trafficking. 

As part of the plea agreement, the wife of the former head of the Sinaloa cartel could be released from prison when she serves 85% of her sentence. In addition, the months that she spent in detention since February 2021 awaiting trial were taken into account. Jeffrey Lichtman, Coronel's attorney, had said after the sentencing that his client -- with good behavior -- could be released from prison in 18 months.

As part of his sentence, Coronel had to pay $1.5 million.

“I want to show my regret for any harm I have caused. I ask that all the people of this country forgive me,” Coronel said during the sentencing hearing in a District of Columbia court.

“I know that it may be difficult to ignore the fact that I am Joaquín Guzmán's wife, perhaps that is why you feel the obligation to be harsher with me, but I beg you not to do it. Today, the suffering that I have caused my family hurts me a lot,” said Coronel, speaking directly to Judge Rudolph Contreras, minutes before hearing his sentence.

In June 2021, Coronel pleaded guilty to federal charges after being arrested in February of that year at Dulles International Airport in Virginia and was later accused of helping her husband run a multimillion-dollar drug trafficking empire.

The Mexican, who also has U.S. citizenship, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin and marijuana, money laundering and participation in property transactions belonging to a drug trafficker.

Her arrest came as a surprise in part because authorities had done nothing to arrest her in the past two years, even after she became implicated in crimes committed by her husband.

At “El Chapo’s” trial in 2019, prosecutors said she helped orchestrate the kingpin’s two prison escapes in Mexico. The drug trafficker's wife was seen at the hearings of that trial and even gave interviews to the press.

Coronel served part of her sentence in Virginia and was later transferred to a federal prison in Texas.