Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s lawyer has responded to a proposal from Senator Ted Cruz that would use funds seized from the drug kingpin to help pay for a wall along the southern border of the US.
The Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act was introduced by Cruz in April, 2017. The US government is currently seeking $14 billion from the former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel and Cruz wants that money, and cash seized from other drug lords, to go towards a wall.
Responding to the proposal, Guzman’s lawyer snapped back by saying that “there’s a better chance of Mr. Cruz paying for the wall.”
“Sen. Cruz surely knows that the government has seized none — not a penny — of Mr. Guzman’s assets so getting him to pay for the wall is ludicrous,” Guzman’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, told CNN. “There’s a better chance of Mr. Cruz paying for the wall.”
Guzman was found guilty on all counts in a New York court last week — including being found guilty of narcotics trafficking, using a firearm in furtherance of his drug crimes and participating in a money laundering conspiracy. He faces life without the possibility of parole for his conviction for organized crime and seven additional life sentences for drug charges.
