The El Chapo Trial Concludes Month One With Tales of Blood and Money - The New York Times

Mr. Rosero would make his pitch to Mr. Guzmán — 3,000 kilos, say, delivered on the open seas by speedboat — while sitting in the shade underneath the palapa. Mr. Guzmán, he recalled, often sat listening in a baseball cap.

Though he could be hotheaded when it came to personal slights, Mr. Guzmán seemed relaxed when facing business problems. Once, Mr. Rosero said, the United States Coast Guard seized a mammoth load of more than 12 tons of cocaine that was headed to the Sinaloan traffickers. Hat in hand, Mr. Rosero flew into the mountains to see the kingpin and break the bad news.

"He told me we had to keep moving," Mr. Rosero said. "We had to keep working."

A new face

In the early 2000s, Mr. Ramírez went to Brazil, learned Portuguese and underwent a series of face-altering surgeries in an effort to avoid the authorities. Doctors adjusted his jawbone and cheeks. He got a hair transplant, lip implants and his eyes were widened, among other changes.

During cross-examination, one of the defense attorneys, William Purpura, who is bald, asked about the hair transplant.

"How did that work out for you?"

Mr. Ramírez, who still has a head of hair, laughed and said that it had worked out well.

Later, Mr. Purpura said, "You were a handsome man."

The prosecution objected.

Mr. Purpura pivoted: "You weren't a handsome man."

Another objection came.

Sleepy jury

On Wednesday, Judge Cogan admonished the jury for not paying attention. "I know there is a lot of testimony to listen to," he said. "Without singling anyone out, sometimes I look over and wonder if you're as focused as you should be."