Sandra Ávila Beltrán
Encyclopedia
Sandra Ávila Beltrán is a Mexican
drug cartel
leader, dubbed "La Reina del Pacífico" (The Queen of the Pacific) by the media. She was arrested on September 28, 2007 and charged with organized crime and conspiracy to traffic drugs; Some charges were later dropped but she is still being held for possession of illegal weapons and money laundering
, pending her extradition to the U.S.
Mexican and U.S. officials consider she was an important link between the Sinaloa Cartel
in Mexico and the Colombian Norte del Valle Cartel
.
, the onetime godfather of the Mexican drug trade who is serving a 40-year sentence for the 1984 murder of Enrique Camarena
, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent. Her great uncle Juan José Quintero Payán was extradited to the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. On her mother's side, the Beltráns got involved in heroin smuggling in the 1970s and later diversified into cocaine. DEA
officials state that Avila Beltrán never shrank from employing the violence that comes with the turf and that "she used the typical intimidation tactics of Mexican organizations."
She reportedly had affairs with several well-known drug barons in her youth. She was married twice; both of her husbands were ex-police commanders who became drug traffickers, and both of them were later killed by hired assassins. The police attribute her rise to power in the drug world primarily to her most recent relationship with Juan Diego Espinoza Ramírez, alias The Tiger, who is said to be an important figure in the Colombian Norte del Valle cartel
. Ávila Beltrán lived in Guadalajara, Jalisco
, and Hermosillo, Sonora, until the police found more than 9 tons of cocaine
on a ship in the Pacific port of Manzanillo, Colima
in 2001 and tracked the shipment to her and her lover Espinoza Ramírez.
. She was charged with and convicted of laundering money
for billions of dollars worth of drugs smuggled from Colombia to Mexico.
In a tape of her police interrogation, she describes herself as a housewife who earns a little money on the side "selling clothes and renting houses." When asked why she had been arrested, she responded, "Because of an extradition order to the United States." Her life behind bars at the Santa Martha Acatitla women’s prison in Mexico City
has apparently not been to her liking as she filed a complaint with a Mexico City human rights commission
, saying her cell had insects, which she referred to as noxious fauna. She also said the ban on bringing in food from restaurants violated her human rights.
On March 2009, journalist Anderson Cooper interviewed Sandra Avila for the television news magazine 60 Minutes
.
In January 2011 an investigation was launched after a doctor was allowed to enter the prison to give Beltran a Botox injection treatment, a therapy that is not authorised for inmates. The prison's director and hospital chief were relieved of their duties. Although all of the drug charges were dropped in early 2011, she remains in jail for possession of illegal weapons, and is undergoing extradition proceedings to the United States for drug trafficking.
wrote a folk ballad that pays homage to Sandra Ávila as "a top lady who is a key part of the business." She also published a book, The Queen of the Pacific: Time to Talk, based on a series of prison interviews she did with Mexican journalist Julio Scherer.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
drug cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
leader, dubbed "La Reina del Pacífico" (The Queen of the Pacific) by the media. She was arrested on September 28, 2007 and charged with organized crime and conspiracy to traffic drugs; Some charges were later dropped but she is still being held for possession of illegal weapons and money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
, pending her extradition to the U.S.
Mexican and U.S. officials consider she was an important link between the Sinaloa Cartel
Sinaloa Cartel
The Sinaloa Cartel is the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico and considered by the United States Intelligence Community as "the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the world." The Sinaloa Cartel is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa, but also operates in the Mexican states of Baja...
in Mexico and the Colombian Norte del Valle Cartel
Norte del Valle Cartel
The Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
.
Biography
Family connections have played a major role in her criminal career. Officials in Mexico say Avila Beltrán is the niece of Miguel Ángel Félix GallardoMiguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo is a convicted Mexican drug lord known as "El Padrino" who in the 1980s formed the Guadalajara Cartel and became the first drug czar in Mexico to control all illegal drug traffic in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico-U.S.A...
, the onetime godfather of the Mexican drug trade who is serving a 40-year sentence for the 1984 murder of Enrique Camarena
Enrique Camarena
Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar (Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico July 26, 1947 - c. (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, February 9, 1985) was an undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration who was abducted on...
, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent. Her great uncle Juan José Quintero Payán was extradited to the U.S. on drug trafficking charges. On her mother's side, the Beltráns got involved in heroin smuggling in the 1970s and later diversified into cocaine. DEA
DEA
DEA is the commonly used acronym for the Drug Enforcement Administration, a United States law enforcement agency.DEA or Dea may also refer to:- Organizations :* DEA , UK development education charity...
officials state that Avila Beltrán never shrank from employing the violence that comes with the turf and that "she used the typical intimidation tactics of Mexican organizations."
She reportedly had affairs with several well-known drug barons in her youth. She was married twice; both of her husbands were ex-police commanders who became drug traffickers, and both of them were later killed by hired assassins. The police attribute her rise to power in the drug world primarily to her most recent relationship with Juan Diego Espinoza Ramírez, alias The Tiger, who is said to be an important figure in the Colombian Norte del Valle cartel
Norte del Valle Cartel
The Norte del Valle Cartel, or North Valley Cartel, is a drug cartel that operates principally in the north of the Valle del Cauca department of Colombia...
. Ávila Beltrán lived in Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, and Hermosillo, Sonora, until the police found more than 9 tons of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
on a ship in the Pacific port of Manzanillo, Colima
Manzanillo, Colima
The name Manzanillo refers to the city as well as its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Colima. The city, located on the Pacific Ocean, contains Mexico's busiest port. Manzanillo was the third port created by the Spanish in the Pacific during the New Spain period...
in 2001 and tracked the shipment to her and her lover Espinoza Ramírez.
Arrest
Despite her high-profile lifestyle, Beltran long avoided leaving police any evidence. In 2002, however, she unexpectedly contacted authorities for help when her teenage son was kidnapped for a USD 5 million ransom. She eventually got her son back, but not without raising suspicions that launched an investigation. It took more than four years and 30 federal agents to close in and finally arrest Avila. She was arrested, along with Espinoza Ramírez, on September 28, 2007, in Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. She was charged with and convicted of laundering money
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
for billions of dollars worth of drugs smuggled from Colombia to Mexico.
In a tape of her police interrogation, she describes herself as a housewife who earns a little money on the side "selling clothes and renting houses." When asked why she had been arrested, she responded, "Because of an extradition order to the United States." Her life behind bars at the Santa Martha Acatitla women’s prison in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
has apparently not been to her liking as she filed a complaint with a Mexico City human rights commission
Human rights commission
A Human Rights Commission is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights.The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as national human rights institutions or truth and reconciliation commissions.-International Human Rights...
, saying her cell had insects, which she referred to as noxious fauna. She also said the ban on bringing in food from restaurants violated her human rights.
On March 2009, journalist Anderson Cooper interviewed Sandra Avila for the television news magazine 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
.
In January 2011 an investigation was launched after a doctor was allowed to enter the prison to give Beltran a Botox injection treatment, a therapy that is not authorised for inmates. The prison's director and hospital chief were relieved of their duties. Although all of the drug charges were dropped in early 2011, she remains in jail for possession of illegal weapons, and is undergoing extradition proceedings to the United States for drug trafficking.
Popularity
Los Tucanes de TijuanaLos Tucanes de Tijuana
Los Tucanes de Tijuana is a Latino Regional Band founded on April 13, 1987 by Mario Quintero Lara and a group of talented friends in the City of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. From humble beginnings, starting their musical career by playing at nightclubs they rose to become the most successful...
wrote a folk ballad that pays homage to Sandra Ávila as "a top lady who is a key part of the business." She also published a book, The Queen of the Pacific: Time to Talk, based on a series of prison interviews she did with Mexican journalist Julio Scherer.