How Many Times Has El Chapo Been To Jail? US Judge Sentences Mexican Drug Kingpin To Life In Prison

Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman Loera, better known as "El Chapo," was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, and must forfeit $12.6 billion.

Guzman, 62, has grown in infamy in recent years, mostly for escaping prisons after overseeing the Sinaloa Drug Cartel. By the early 1990s, the cartel was deemed as among the most dominant and dangerous drug trafficking operations in North America by the DEA and FBI.

In the wake of the sentencing, Guzman accused the government of torture and corruption while he was detained. The statement was transcribed to the press by Judge Brian Cogan, who oversaw the trial and sentencing.

“Since the government will send me to a jail where my name will not ever be heard again, I take this opportunity to say: There was no justice here,” Cogan quoted Guzman. “My case was stained and you denied me a fair trial when the world was watching. What happened here is the U.S. is not better than any other corrupt country.”

Prisons haven’t been enough to hold Guzman, figuratively and literally. This will mark his third trip to jail after two escapes.

Guzman’s first major prison stint came in 1993 when he was sentenced to 20 years after being extradited from Guatemala to Mexico. He was sent to a maximum-security prison in Almoloya de Juárez, Mexico, where he would be held for nearly eight years.

The U.S. then pursued its own cases against Guzman and filed indictments against the drug lord in 2001. Once Mexico had reached terms to allow for Guzman to be extradited to the U.S., Guzman would make his prison break by bribing several guards. His escape would involve hiding in a laundry cart before being driven away in a maintenance worker’s car.

During this time away from prison, Guzman would tighten his grip on his criminal empire, even making the Forbes list of most powerful people in the world and list of the richest people in the world.

He would be arrested again in February 2014 after being located at a beach hotel in Mazatlán, Mexico. The Mexican government would also deny requests for extradition by the U.S. government to prevent another escape attempt.

However, Guzman would make his second escape, after serving nearly 18 months. He slipped through an opening in his cell’s shower, climbed down a 30-foot ladder and navigated his way through a series of tunnels that connected the cell to a house under construction a mile away.

It is believed that Guzman's prison breaks were aided by his wife and gang members.

Guzman is expected to serve his sentence at a "supermax" prison. ADX Florence, located in central Colorado, is the highest-security federal prison and known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies."

Guzman's legal team has reportedly indicated they will appeal Wednesday's sentencing on the grounds of juror misconduct.