El Chapo’s Brooklyn federal trial threatened to turn into an episode of “The Real Housewives of the Sinaloa Cartel” on Monday when the wife of the accused Mexican drug lord went AWOL, puzzling even her pint-size defendant hubby.
El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, had attended every single day of her husband’s trial for the past six weeks.
Her absence in the courtroom Monday seemed to come as a surprise even to her alleged-kingpin husband, who spent much of the proceeding nervously searching the room for his wife, a former beauty queen.
A source familiar with the wife’s habits said they had no idea exactly where she was but confirmed she was still in New York.
Coronel’s notable absence came as defense lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman went head to head with Colombian cocaine trafficker and witness Jorge Cifuentes.
Cifuentes attempted to deflect Lichtman’s questions by repeatedly telling the lawyer that his information — which came from Cifuentes’s own interviews with the feds — was incorrect.
“I don’t have any idea, sir, where you get your little pieces of paper,” Cifuentes smugly told Lichtman, referring to papers the lawyer had.
Lichtman spat back, “They’re notes of your debriefing.”
This prompted Cifuentes to recline in his chair and shrug, “In that case, they have mistakes in them.”
Last week, Cifuentes — who says he moved cocaine for El Chapo in the 2000s — testified that he refused to get the accused kingpin shipments of ephedrine, commonly used to make methamphetamine, because he thought meth was a “very harmful drug that young people” used.
The witness became so combative Monday when reminded by Lichtman that he’d later caved, and tried to traffic ephedrine instead of cocaine, that the frustrated lawyer resorted to yelling.
“Is cocaine good for young people?” Lichtman bellowed, prompting Judge Brian Cogan to chide, “Mr. Lichtman, no yelling in the courtroom.”
Lichtman paused, then whispered into the mic, “Is cocaine good for young people?”
“No, sir,” Cifuentes whispered back.
The witness, also questioned about the multiple murders he’d ordered, dramatically raised his hand and, eyes closed, contritely murmured, “Guilty.”
At one point, Cifuentes testified that a cohort had hired “the most significant Jewish lawyers in California” to help fight charges against him in the US — but said he didn’t know who they were.
Cifuentes also admitted bribing a gemologist to sign off on his emerald mine so he could use it to launder money.