Drug kingpin Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmán likely headed to Supermax prison, experts say
Bob Hood, a former Supermax penitentiary warden, suspects Guzmán will "never be allowed on the yard with other prisoners for the rest of his life."
Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán is heading to prison after his conviction Tuesday on 10 charges, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and multiple counts of distributing tons of narcotics into the U.S.
Prosecutors announced they will ask for him to be sent to prison for life without a chance for parole when he is sentenced on June 25.
Given the Sinaloa cartel leader's resources, money and prior prison escapes, Guzmán, 61, is the perfect candidate for a Supermax penitentiary, in particular one called ADX Florence, according to Bob Hood, a former Supermax penitentiary warden.
"There’s no question in my mind that Guzmán will be going to the Supermax prison in Colorado," Hood told NBC News.
Known as the "Alcatraz of the Rockies," Colorado’s federal Supermax prison was created to be the most secure prison facility in the country.
Located in in mile-high desert south of Colorado Springs, Florence is home to more about 400 prisoners, including gang members, convicted terrorists and other criminals deemed too dangerous for less restrictive custody.
Some notable prisoners include Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and the 1993 World Trade Center attacker, Ramzi Yousef. Even in this facility, Hood believes Guzmán will most likely be put under special administrative measures to revoke his visitation rights and limit his interaction with other prisoners.
“He’s such a high-profile person that, in my opinion, he’ll never be allowed on the yard with other prisoners for the rest of his life," Hood said.
The typical cell at Florence is a 7-foot-by-12-foot concrete cell with a 4-inch window, leaving its occupants unable to see the sky. Prisoners there generally get only an hour outside a day in a small caged-in area, according to Hood. Florence's inmates may be able to read newspapers or watch television, but someone with a network the size of Guzmán's may only be allowed old publications or entertainment that isn't newsworthy. Such precautions are "designed to put a shield between you and the outside world," Hood said
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