NEW YORK—The trial of accused Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman will begin with lawyers’ opening statements in a federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday, amid intense public attention and extraordinary security measures.
Federal prosecutors say that as leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Guzman, 61, directed massive shipments of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine bound for the United States. He faces 17 criminal counts and a potential life sentence if convicted.
