El Chapo wants more time outdoors but other prisoners have made other demands too

Notorious drug lord ‘El Chapo’ has made absurd prison demands but he is not the first, nor the last crime figure to make a fuss on the inside.

Notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s demands for more outdoor time may be part of another prison escape plot, US officials say.

The 62-year-old is being held at a correctional facility in New York after he was convicted on ten counts of drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder.

"El Chapo" Guzman wants more time outdoors, but there’s fears it could be part of another escape plot. Picture: AFP

But recent requests from his lawyers to up his outdoor recreation hours, access to the commissary, earplugs and water bottles, has sparked concern from officials that Guzman may be looking for another way out of custody.

The Washington Post reports Guzman may be trying to escape before he is sentenced.

The drug lord has succeeded in two prison escapes in the past while he was held in Mexico.

In one attempt he escaped through a tunnel dug under the jail.

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But Guzman’s lawyers have reportedly argued the nature of his solitary confinement violates the 8th Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishments.

It’s claimed Guzman has been psychologically scarred by “deprivation of sunlight and fresh air, over an excessive 27-month period.”

It was also claimed the kingpin had been forced to use toilet paper in his ears to cover up loud noise.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was world's most wanted drug lord. Picture: Supplied

Officials have concerns as El-Chapo has escaped prison before, he once used a 50cm-by-50cm hole at the base of a shower to flee. Picture: Supplied

Prison officials however say there’s a huge risk to giving Guzman greater freedom and that he’s only whining about earplugs and his need for sunlight as a ruse.

“The defendant has successfully planned and executed elaborate escapes from two high-security penal institutions. As detailed at trial, one of the defendant’s escapes involved the construction of a sophisticated, ventilated tunnel that stretched for over a mile. Certainly, an escape via rooftop, using a helicopter, or any related means would be elementary by comparison,” an argument from the US government read.

Guzman was convicted in February and is due for sentencing at the end of June, he faces life behind bars when sentenced.

According to his lawyer, Guzman has been housed in detention for 27 months in solitary confinement in a windowless prison cell in Manhattan.

The government said Guzman already has access to exercise equipment including a bike and elliptical, as well as a vented window that provides fresh air and sunlight.

Guzman is not the first high profile prison to make big demands on the inside, Australian inmates are also not shy of speaking up when they’re unhappy.

IVAN MILAT

Ivan Milat loved to garden in prison. Picture: Supplied

Serial killer Ivan Milat revealed he was allowed to garden during his time at Goulburn Supemax.

Gardening became an enjoyable pastime for Milat in prison but he abandoned it in a self-harm protest over how he was portrayed in a TV documentary.

Milat was unhappy over how the prison commissioner spoke of him in the show. So he stopped tending to the flowers and plants.

“He spent the whole hour going on about me — most dangerous violent killer, Im (sic) the only person that he named.

“So that was it, I immediately stopped doing the flowers, left them there. So since then no flowers ever again in our courtyard.”

OMAR BALADJAM

Omar Baladjam was upset he was banned from using colour pencils and painting materials. Picture: Supplied

Former Home And Away actor turned convicted jihadi Omar Baladjam complained he had been banned from using colour pencils. He complained other inmates were allowed outside their cells, to make more phone calls, share books, food and magazines. They were also allowed colour pencils and painting supplies.

GERALD PRESTON

Gerald Preston didn’t like the magazine choices available to him in prison. Picture: Supplied

One of South Australia’s most notorious killers, hitman Gerald Preston spoke up about a prison policy that restricted inmates reading material.

He complained a list of 16 approved magazines for the inside were more suited to “juvenile and females” than male prisoners.

Approved magainzes included New Idea, That’s Life, Woman’s Day, Take 5, Street Machine and Motorcycle Trader.

Originally published as El Chapo wants more time outdoors but other prisoners have made other demands too