The wife of famed drug lord El Chapo, Emma Coronel Aispuro, was apprehended at Dulles International Airport on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, according to the US Justice Department.
The former beauty queen from Mexico faces charges of conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, five kilograms or more of cocaine, 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana, and 500 grams or more of methamphetamines for unlawful importation into the country.
Aispuro is known as El Chapo’s younger wife, his go-to, his accomplice. The wife. The mom. And the boss. But as always, of course, there is more to the woman behind the drug kingpin.
We wanted to focus on the photographers that have captured El Chapo’s wife in her true essence.
The photographers behind El Chapo’s wife
Antonio Carillo has photographed El Chapo’s wife at some of her most lavish events. Take this picture of Aispuro in a beautiful bridal gown for instance.
Antonio Carillo is a Mexican photographer capturing everything from intimate portraits to stunning landscapes.
But Carillo is not the only photographer lucky enough to have captured El Chapo’s wife in her true light. Todd Heisler of the New York Times and Redux Pictures got a firsthand look.
And for as enigmatic as Aispuro is, her pictures do not disappoint.
There is an undeniable intrigue to the wife of a drug kingpin. How involved was she? What did she know and when did she learn it? And most of all, if she did know everything he’s done, how could she stay with him?
There is more to Coronel Aispuro than we know of course. And while much of the world must be fascinated as to her role as an accomplice, I am intrigued by the bigger picture. Who is Coronel the mother? Who is Coronel the wife?
Emma Coronel Aispuro was mysterious… until she wasn’t
Coronel Aispuro was seen mostly during her husband’s trial in 2018/2019. Of course, photos were taken of the now-31-year-old wife of El Chapo.
And it seems possible even, that she welcomed the opportunity in the limelight.
Not only was Emma Coronel Aispuro photographed during her husband’s highly-anticipated trial, but she has now been photographed before her very own.
As I mentioned before, the former beauty queen of Mexico was arrested on severe charges of drug trafficking. Consequently, she was photographed at the police station, and her mugshot was released.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, El Chapo’s wife then got her own personal sketch treatment in court on Feb. 23, 2021.
As the world waits on the status of El Chapo and wife, the photographers lead the way
Photographers have a knack for capturing a moment in its pure essence. Also, they just know how to get a good flic when the time calls for it.
Times are looking grim for El Chapo and his shorty right now, and thus, it is essential that photographers be our guiding lights through the contentious months to come.
Without more information, I do not want to speculate on El Chapo’s wife’s morality, and I also do not want to cast aspersions on the woman. But then again, we see the things we want to see in life. Those of us who put blinders on, usually do so for a reason.
Ultimately, the courts will decide Emma Coronel Aispuro’s fate.
And due to the photographers ready to capture a glimpse of a moment at any time, we will see El Chapo’s wife as we are meant to: as the three-dimensional wife, mother, and boss that she is.