The wife of the notorious drug lord El Chapo is a former beauty queen who unwaveringly supports her husband

Kelly McLaughlin,Erin SnodgrassFeb 23, 2021, 07:23 IST

Wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Emma Coronel, and attorney Michelle Gelernt exit after speaking to the press in 2017.REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The wife of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was arrested Monday on drug trafficking charges.
The Justice Department said Emma Coronel Aispuro also helped plot her husband's prison escape in 2015.
The former beauty queen has stood by her infamous husband since she married him on her 18th birthday.

The wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was arrested Monday, February 22, at an airport in Virginia on international drug trafficking charges, according to the US Department of Justice.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, is accuTsed of helping plot her husband's escape from a Mexican prison in 2015 and was reportedly "engaged in planning yet another prison escape" before her husband was extradited to the US in 2017, the Justice Department said in a Monday statement.

Coronel Aispuro, who is a dual citizen of the US and Mexico, is expected to appear in federal court on Tuesday.

The federal trial against the infamous Mexican drug lord and escape artist Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman ended in 2019 when he was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years - and the kingpin's former beauty queen wife was by his side through it all.

Guzman pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges connected to claims that he built a multi-billion-dollar fortune by smuggling cocaine and other drugs across the Mexico-US border.

After years on the run, Guzman was extradited to the United States in 2017 and was held in solitary confinement in a high-security prison as he awaited trial, The Associated Press reported. He is now serving his life sentence.

As a teenager, Emma Coronel Aispuro was crowned the local Coffee and Guava Queen in rural Sinaloa, Mexico, where Guzman once led the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.

Emma Coronel as a beauty queen in 2008. Screen grab/Univision

Coronel Aispuro married Guzman on her 18th birthday.

Emma Coronel, center, the wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman leaves Brooklyn Federal court after opening arguments in the trial of the Mexican drug lord. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

The 29-year-old former beauty queen was born just outside San Francisco while her Mexican mother was visiting relatives.

Emma Coronel, center, the wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman leaves Brooklyn Federal court after opening arguments in her husband's trial. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Guzman has been jailed for most of his marriage to Coronel Aispuro.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted by soldiers during a presentation at the hangar belonging to the office of the Attorney General in Mexico City, Mexico. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Coronel Aispuro and Guzman's twin daughters were born in 2011.

Emma Coronel, right, wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman leaves federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York with her daughters. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

When her daughters were born in Lancaster, California, Coronel Aispuro left Guzman's name off the birth certificate

Emma Coronel, wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, pictured with her daughters. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Coronel Aispuro flew to New York to attend the first day of Guzman's trial.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Joaquin Guzman, the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo," arrives at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in New York. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Coronel waved and smiled at Guzman in court at the start of his trial, but wasn't allowed to give him a hug.

Emma Coronel, the wife of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, arrives for his trial in Brooklyn federal court. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

It is believed Coronel Aispuro was well aware of Guzman’s status as a drug kingpin.

Emma Coronel Aispuro and attorney Michelle Gelernt exit after speaking to the press in 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Coronel Aispuro feared for Guzman's life after he was captured by Mexican authorities in 2016.

Coronel Aispuro talks with reporters as she leaves Brooklyn federal court in 2017. AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams

In her first public interview in 2016, Coronel Aispuro defended her husband and said Guzman wasn't violent.

Emma Coronel Aispuro breaks her silence on Telemundo. in 2016. Telemundo

Photos of Coronel Aispuro flaunting her wealth have appeared on Instagram - but she said she doesn't run social media accounts.

Emma Coronel Aispuro, flanked by her husband's defense lawyers, Eduardo Balarezo, left, and William Purpura, as she speaks with reporters. AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey

Coronel Aispuro voiced concern over Guzman’s health ahead of his drug trafficking trial.

Emma Coronel outside court. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

The 31-year-old mother of two was arrested February 22, 2021 on international drug trafficking charges.

In this July 17, 2019 file photo, Emma Coronel Aispuro, wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, leaves Brooklyn federal court in New York, following Guzman's sentencing. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File

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