After a dramatic decades-long run as one of the world's most notorious drug lords, there is little suspense about what will happen in a New York courtroom on Wednesday: Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is expected to be sentenced to life in prison.

The hearing is more or less a formality: Guzman, the 62-year-old former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, was convicted in February of crimes spanning a quarter of a century including trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana to the US. The charges, which also include money laundering and weapons-related offenses, carry a mandatory life sentence.

Last week, prosecutors asked US federal judge Brian Cogan to tack on a symbolic extra 30 years in prison for the use of firearms in his business, portraying Guzman as "ruthless and bloodthirsty."

They also want Guzman to turn over $12.7 billion, based on a conservative estimate of revenues from his cartel's drug sales in the US. So far, authorities have not recovered a dime.

El Chapo is considered to be the most powerful drug lord since Colombia's Pablo Escobar. He was the co-leader of the Sinaloa organization from 1989 until 2014.

During the three-month trial, jurors heard evidence of Guzman's misdeeds; witnesses described the cartel boss beating, shooting and even burying alive those who got in his way, including informants and members of rival gangs.