Sandra Ávila Beltrán | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 11, 1960 Baja California, Mexico |
| Ither names | La Reina del Pacífico (Queen o the Paceefic) |
| Kent for | Possession o illegal fireairms, money launderin |
| Bairns | 1 |
| Kin | Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo Rafael Caro Quintero |
Sandra Ávila Beltrán (born October 11, 1960) is a Mexican drog cairtel leader, dubbit "La Reina del Pacífico" (The Queen o the Paceefic) bi the media.[1][2][3] She wis arrestit on 28 September 2007, an chairgit wi organisit creeme an conspiracy tae trok drogs;[1] Some charges wur later dropped but she wis still held for possession o illegal wappens an money launderin, pendin her extradition tae the U.S.[4] On 10 August 2012, she wis extraditit tae the U.S. tae answer tae creeminal chairges bi the U.S. govrenment.
Mexican an U.S. offeecials consider she wis an important link atween the Sinaloa Cairtel in Mexico an the Colombie Norte del Valle Cairtel.[5]
Ávila Beltrán wis born in Baja California, Mexico, the ochter o María Luisa Beltrán Félix an Alfonso Ávila Quintero, a faimily member o Rafael Caro Quintero, the umwhile leader o the Guadalajara Cairtel.[6] Faimily connections hae played a major role in her creeminal career, an Ávila Beltrán wis in fact a "third-generation" drog troker in her faimily.[7] Offeecials in Mexico say Ávila Beltrán is the niece o Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo,[8] the anetime godfaither o the Mexican drog tred who is servin a 40-year sentence for the 1984 murther o Enrique Camarena, a U.S. Drog Enforcement Admeenistration special agent. Her great uncle Juan José Quintero Payán wis extraditit tae the U.S. on drog trokin chairges. On her mither's side, the Beltráns got involvit in heroin smugglin in the 1970s an later diversifee'd intae cocaine. DEA offeecials state that Ávila Beltrán niver shrank frae employin the violence that comes wi the turf an that "she uised the typical intimidation tactics o Mexican organisations."
She reportedly haed affairs wi several well-kent drog barons in her youth.[8] She wis marriet twice; baith o her husbands wur ex-polis commanders who became drog trokers,[9] an baith o them war later killed bi hired assassins.[8] The polis attribute her rise tae pouer in the drog warld primarily tae her maist recent relationship wi Juan Diego Espinoza Ramírez, alias The Tiger, who is said tae be an important figur in the Colombie Norte del Valle Cairtel.[8] Ávila Beltrán livit in Guadalajara, Jalisco, an Hermosillo, Sonora, till the polis foond mair nor 9 tons o cocaine on a ship in the Paceefic port o Manzanillo, Colima, in 2001 an rackit the shipment tae her an her lover Espinoza Ramírez.[10]
Despite her heich-profile lifestyle, Beltrán lang avoided leaving police ony evidence. In 2002, houiver, she unexpectedly contactit authorities for help when her teenage son wis kidnapped for a $5 million USD ransom. She eventually got her son back, but no athoot raisin suspicions that launched an investigation. It teuk mair nor fower years an 30 federal agents tae close in an feenally arrest Ávila. She wis arrestit, alang wi Espinoza Ramírez, on 28 September 2007, in Mexico Ceety.[11] She wis chairgit wi an convictit o launderin money for billions o dollars wirth o drogs smuggled frae Colombie tae Mexico.[12]
In a tape o her polis interrogation, she describes hersel as a hoosewife who earns a little money on the side "sellin clothes an rentin hooses." When asked why she haed been arrestit, she responded, "Acause o an extradition order tae the Unitit States."[13] Her life ahint bars at the Santa Martha Acatitla weemen’s preeson in Mexico Ceety haes apparently no been tae her likin as she filed a complaint wi a Mexico Ceety human richts commission,[14] sayin her cell haed insects, which she referred tae as noxious fauna. She said the ban on bringin in fuid frae restaurants violatit her human richts an aw.
In Mairch 2009, jurnalist Anderson Cooper interviewed Sandra Ávila for the televeesion news magazine 60 Minutes.[15]
In Januar 2011 an investigation wis launched efter a doctor wis alloued tae enter the preeson tae gie Ávila Beltrán a Botox injection treatment, a therapy that is no authorisit for inmates.[16] The preeson's director an hospital chief wur relievit o thair duties.[17] Awtho aw o the drog chairges wur droppit in early 2011, she remains in jyle for possession o illegal wappens, an is unnergoin extradition proceedins tae the Unitit States for drog trokin.[2][18][19]
In Juin 2012 several Mexican judges ruled oot major obstacles tae extradite Ávila Beltrán tae the Unitit States on cocaine trokin chairges that date back tae 2001.[20] Oreeginally, previous request seekin tae extradite Ávila Beltrán haed been denied twice bi a panel an then bi a judge, but Ávila Beltrán haes tae answer tae the chairges imposed bi the Unitit States for several cocaine shipments seizit in Chicago.[21] On 10 August 2012, Ávila Beltrán wis extraditit tae the Unitit States an flewn tae Florida tae face cocaine possession an trokin chairges.[22]
Los Tucanes de Tijuana wrote a fowk ballad that pays homage tae Sandra Ávila as "a top lady who is a key pairt o the business."[14] She published a beuk an aw, The Queen of the Pacific: Time to Talk, based on a series o preeson interviews she did wi Mexican jurnalist Julio Scherer.[23]