The US government went to court to seize over $ 12 billion from drug lord Joaquín Guzmán, nicknamed El Chapo, CNN reported. 

The proposal indicates the massive sum represents property "constituting or derived from" his narcotics-related crimes and the property that "facilitated the commission of those crimes."

"This is largely an academic exercise as the government has never located or identified even a penny of this $12.7 billion in proceeds supposedly generated by Mr. Guzman," another of Guzman's attorneys Jeffrey Lichtman said Friday.