FEDS concerned drug lord 'El Chapo' may escape from New York prison

There are new concerns that convicted drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman could be planning to escape from jail again.

He's known for his escapes from two high-security prisons and the feds fear his recent requests could be part of another escape plan.

Guzman, now behind bars at a federal correctional facility in New York, was convicted on 10 counts of drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder.

In recent weeks, his lawyers submitted a letter to a judge asking that El Chapo be allowed at least two hours of outdoor recreation per week, access to the commissary, earplugs, water bottles and other accommodations, lamenting the conditions of his solitary confinement.

"Violate the 8th Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment as well as the fundamental norms of human decency," attorneys said in the letter.

But federal officials fiercely pushed back, saying those requests may be part of a brewing scheme to bust out.

Prosecutors cited a foiled 1981 jailbreak at the same facility, involving a hijacked helicopter dropping weapons to inmates on the roof as they unsuccessfully attempted to flee.

El Chapo, the so-called ringleader of the ruthless Sinaloa Cartel, infamously managed to escape two Mexican prisons in the past - once through a mile-long underground tunnel.

The cunning criminal was ultimately captured and whisked to the U.S. to face justice.

"He sees the window closing because he's about to get sentenced," said ABC News Consultant and former FBI Agent Brad Garrett. "Maybe he thinks that his best chance to get away again would be while he's still in New York."