During his Brooklyn trial, love letters from Joaquín Guzmán Loera, 'El Chapo', to partners in Mexican prisons were revealed. The texts express affection for Zulema Hernández and Lucero Sánchez, contrasting his criminal image. To Emma Coronel, they contained operational instructions.
The trial of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as 'El Chapo' and leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, in Brooklyn Federal Court revealed not only crimes like murders and bribes but also his sentimental side through letters sent from Mexican prisons such as Puente Grande and Altiplano. While planning his escape from Puente Grande in Jalisco, he exchanged at least 10 letters with Zulema Hernández, convicted of armed robbery whom he met in prison. In one, he wrote: “Hola, mi vida! Zulema, cariño, he estado pensando en ti a cada momento y quiero imaginar que estás feliz y alegre, porque ya se va a efectuar tu traslado”. In another: “Amor, no vayas intranquila ni angustiada por el cambio, ya el abogado tiene las instrucciones de que en cuanto te cambien, de inmediato te va a visitar para ver qué cosas necesites”. These texts, shared by journalist Julio Scherer and Proceso magazine in 2001, show legal and emotional support. Zulema Hernández was murdered in December 2008; her body, showing torture, sexual abuse, and Z marks, was found in a car trunk and linked to Los Zetas, allies of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel after splitting from 'El Chapo'. To former deputy Lucero Sánchez López, nicknamed 'chapodiputada', he sent 2014 letters via lawyer Manuel Ozuna, suggesting a fake ID for Altiplano visits. One stated: “Vivir sin tus palabras es mucha soledad”. It referenced a child's birth and therapy for another boy. Sánchez lost her seat in September 2014, denied romance, and was arrested in the US in 2017 for drug trafficking, later cooperating against 'El Chapo'. To wife Emma Coronel, imprisoned in 2021 with a three-year sentence after a plea deal, 2015 letters were operational: “Con respecto a Cleto, aumenta la producción para que rinda (...) Dile que por favor me eche una mano, para que la primera venta sea de mi parte” and references to his four sons, Los Chapitos.
