Wife of 'El Chapo', from teen beauty queen to accused drug trafficker

Emma Coronel Aispuro's resume is dense: model, social media influencer and fashion designer, small-town beauty queen at 17, wife of Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman a year later.

And now, at age 31, she is a suspected drug trafficker, accused of taking part in the operations of her husband's cartel, being held in a US jail after her arrest this week at a Washington airport.

Coronel, 32 years her husband's junior, has been a source of fascination since she played a key role in the trial of Guzman two years ago in New York, which ended in a life sentence for the powerful leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

Tall, with long dark hair, tight-fitting clothes and lots of make-up, Coronel would smile at Guzman and blow him kisses as she attended his trial almost every day for three months.

That was as close as she could get to him. US authorities barred her from visiting Guzman in prison or calling him, and the judge at the trial would not even let them hug to say goodbye when the proceedings ended.

At times she took their twin seven-year-old daughters to the trial so they could see their father. She would post on social media photos of her entering the court building, or working as a model, or skiing, or sipping wine.

While Guzman was awaiting trial, Coronel posted on Instagram photos of a posh Barbie-themed birthday bash she threw for the girls.

Guzman is estimated to have amassed a $14 billion drug empire and neither US nor Mexican authorities ever managed to seize a penny from him.