WASHINGTON – With all the debates in Washington swirling around how to fund the border wall, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has an idea -- make El Chapo pay for it.
America’s justice system prevailed today in convicting Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka El Chapo, on all 10 counts. U.S. prosecutors are seeking $14 billion in drug profits & other assets from El Chapo which should go towards funding our wall to #SecureTheBorder. https://t.co/hPwEUVM6SP
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) February 12, 2019
The notorious drug lord, whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera, was found guilty Tuesday of all 10 federal criminal counts against him.
As the head of the Sinaloa cartel, Loera made nearly $14 billion -- more than double President Donald Trump's $5.7 billion asking price for the southern border wall.
Prosecutors said they will seek a forfeiture judgment for billions of dollars constituting the cartel's illegal drug-trafficking proceeds, and Cruz says that money should go toward the wall as part of his "El Chapo Act."
Cruz's proposed legislation comes one day after lawmakers on both sides of the aisle tentatively agreed on a plan to fund the government that included far less money for Trump's border wall -- $1.4 billion.