Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, was apprehended at Dulles International Airport and faces charges of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, five or more kilograms of cocaine, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine for illegal importation into the country, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
Coronel, a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen, is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, Tuesday by video conference.
Guzmán – who prosecutors say ruled a global narcotics empire greased for decades by corruption and violence – was convicted after a jury trial in 2019 and sentenced to life plus 30 years in federal prison.
Jeffrey Lichtman and Mariel Colon told CNN they represent Coronel.
“We are just trying to grasp the full scope of the government’s allegations at the moment,” Colon said.
Lichtman told CNN he had no comment.
After Guzmán’s third arrest in 2016, he was under close surveillance. He was taken to New York, where he remained during his trial and sentencing.
Security surrounding Guzmán’s trial was so tight that the Brooklyn Bridge was closed weekly to allow Guzmán to be transferred in a motorcade – with a helicopter escort – from a federal detention center to the courthouse from Brooklyn for his months-long trial. .
While Guzmán was on trial, his communications were limited to members of his legal team and his sister, with occasional visits from his twin daughters. He was not allowed to meet with Coronel.
After being found guilty by a jury, he signed the rights to his name so that Coronel, a former beauty queen interested in fashion, could launch an El Chapo branded clothing line.
Guzmán and Coronel have been married since 2007. The FBI alleges in the complaint that her father, Ines, was a member of the Guzmán drug cartel.
CNN’s Ray Sanchez, Maria Santana, Sonia Moghe, and Jay Croft contributed to this report.