Joaquin "
Sanchez, who served as a cooperating witness during Guzman’s federal trial in the United States, shared these details regarding his early life and personal interests. She noted that Guzman, who grew up in the impoverished farming village of La Tuna in the municipality of Badiraguato, often expressed that his eventual path into drug trafficking was not his initial ambition. According to Sanchez, a lack of education and limited economic opportunities ultimately steered him toward the illicit trade, which he entered by assisting his father in cultivating marijuana before rising through the ranks of organized crime.
From Musical Aspirations to Cartel Leadership
The transition from a rural upbringing to the helm of one of the world's most powerful criminal organizations was marked by Guzman's association with figures such as Hector "El Guero" Palma and Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. By 1987, Guzman had co-founded the Sinaloa Cartel. Despite his reputation for violence and large-scale drug operations, Sanchez described a man who maintained a disciplined daily routine, including regular exercise and a focus on health, while also keeping up with news and entertainment media.
Sanchez, who dated Guzman between 2011 and 2014, provided testimony regarding their time together, including a narrow escape from a military raid in Culiacan in 2014, during which they fled through a tunnel beneath a safe house. Her involvement with the cartel leader eventually led to her own legal troubles. After serving as a state lawmaker in the Sinaloa state congress, she resigned in 2016 following revelations that she had used a fraudulent identity to visit Guzman at the El Altiplano maximum-security prison. She was later arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border and pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy charges in 2018.
Reflections on the Cartel’s Future
During her testimony, Sanchez claimed that both Guzman and his long-time associate, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, had discussed the possibility of retiring from the drug trade as they aged. She suggested that they had contemplated a quieter life, though they reportedly never formalized plans for succession. Sanchez further stated that she believed Guzman did not intend for his children to inherit his criminal enterprise.
Reflecting on the current state of the organization, Sanchez expressed her belief that the era of the Sinaloa Cartel is nearing its conclusion, noting that the group has fractured since the departure of its original leadership. The cartel is currently embroiled in internal conflict between factions led by Guzman’s sons, known as "Los Chapitos," and cells associated with the Zambada family. While some of Guzman’s sons remain in U.S. custody, the broader landscape of the organization remains in a state of transition following the surrender of its founding figures.
