Emma Coronel insists she had no idea who Joaquin Guzmán Loera was when she met him in 2007.
Growing up on her family’s ranch in Durango, Mexico, she didn’t have access to basic necessities like running water or electricity, meaning they didn’t even have a television. Because of this, she had no idea who the man asking her to dance at a party was – he turned out to be the infamous drug lord known as “El Chapo,” the leader of the dangerous Sinaloa cartel.
In the Oxygen documentary Married to El Chapo: Emma Coronel Speaks, Coronel admitted she wasn’t sure if she and El Chapo ever discussed the future. She explained that she was young, naive, and lacked experience at the time, while he was much older – 50 years old.
When Coronel was 17 and hoping to become a model, she met Guzmán. He had been on the run from authorities for six years, ever since he first broke out of prison in 2001.
As a lifestyle expert, I often discuss the consequences of choices, and Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán is a stark example. He’s currently spending the rest of his life in a highly secure prison in Colorado. Back in February 2019, he was convicted of leading a massive, global drug trafficking operation, and that’s led him to where he is today.
She remembers when he first visited her family’s ranch 18 years ago – he arrived by helicopter while she was hanging laundry. “I just thought he’d ruined everything with the wind from the helicopter,” she recalled, laughing. “All my clothes were covered in dust!”
She described him as “very handsome, interesting, and energetic,” explaining that those qualities initially attracted her and made her want to spend time with him.
Coronel was named Queen of the Coffee and Guava Festival in Canelas, a title she still cherishes. Some people have suggested her relationship with Guzmán helped her win, but she remains proud of the achievement.
On her 18th birthday, July 2, 2007, she had a wedding ceremony with Guzmán. However, Guzmán was already married to Alejandrina Salazar and never legally divorced her. The ceremony was considered symbolic, as they didn’t have a legally recognized marriage.
You know, I’ve realized something lately: I just don’t get excited talking about weddings or even my personal life anymore. Honestly, it doesn’t really spark anything for me – if anything, it just brings a bit of sadness. I’ve come to terms with that, and I’m focusing on things that do bring me joy.
Now 36 years old, Coronel insists that Guzmán never discussed his work, and she didn’t inquire about it either, saying she never even saw him doing it.
She quickly adjusted to life in Culiacán, the capital city of Sinaloa, and began regularly visiting Guzmán at his various safe houses on weekends.
When she needed to visit someone, she’d take steps to avoid being followed. This meant leaving her phone at home and taking a roundabout trip, often using several different cars—sometimes she’d even have to switch vehicles in the back of stores—and occasionally small planes landing on secret runways in the countryside.
“For me, that was a normal life,” she said. “Now I realize it wasn’t normal.”
In 2011, they had twin daughters. Years later, in February 2014, Guzmán was captured in Mazatlán while meeting with his family – including Coronel and their children – after evading authorities for 13 years.
When she visited him in prison, he told her everything would be alright and that he’d be released soon, Coronel recalled.
He famously escaped from El Altiplano prison in July 2015 by crawling through a mile-long tunnel that was dug right under his shower.
Guzmán was at large for six months before being captured again in January 2016.
When the proceedings got underway in November 2018, Coronel attended her husband’s trial in New York every day.
In 2021, Coronel was arrested and accused of helping her husband escape and being involved in a drug distribution conspiracy.
According to the Department of Justice, she admitted guilt to crimes involving international drug trafficking, money laundering, and violating the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. She received a three-year sentence in federal prison on November 30, 2021.
In the documentary Married to El Chapo, lawyer Mariel Colon stated that Emma Coronel always wanted to avoid a trial because she didn’t want to risk being permanently separated from her children if found guilty.
“I accepted my guilt,” Coronel said, “and I’m good with that.”
After being released from federal custody in September 2023, she received four years of probation and was required to pay the government $1.5 million.
When questioned about reports of her husband’s wealth—Forbes estimated he earned $1 billion in 2012—Coronel stated in her show, Married to El Chapo, that she “never saw that much money.”
She said she hadn’t realized he even had them. She also wanted to know where it was, as she’d never seen it before.
Married to El Chapo: Emma Coronel Speaks is streaming on Peacock.
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2025-11-29 16:17