Mexico blocks extradition to US of accused drug trafficker 'Queen of Pacific'
A federal court in has ruled that Sandra Avila Beltran, also known as the 鈥淨ueen of the Pacific,鈥� cannot be extradited to the United States on charges, a decision that comes as a major victory to one of the most well known figures of 鈥檚 criminal underworld.
According to , the Mexico City-based First Circuit Court has ruled that Ms. Avila鈥檚 extradition, which had been authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is unlawful because it involves the same charges (drug trafficking) that she faces in Mexico. Under international law, it is customary for a person to be extradited to another country only if they face a different, and typically more serious, set of criminal charges.
Avila first gained attention from the media in September 2007 when she and her love interest, convicted Colombian drug trafficker Juan Diego Espinosa Ram铆rez, alias "El Tigre," were for allegedly conspiring to smuggle nine tons of cocaine northward via a port in Colima in 2001.
Since then, Mexican and American media outlets have been fascinated by her, with Newsweek magazine calling her Mexico鈥檚 鈥淯nderworld Queenpin鈥� and ABC news referring to her as Mexico鈥檚 鈥淕lamorous Gangster.鈥� As InSight Crime has noted, Avila Her flashy outfits and posh tastes are a rare sight in the world of drug trafficking, which is more often marked by images of scruffy, dangerous-looking men.
Even before earning the title 鈥淨ueen of the Pacific鈥� by becoming a key link between the and Colombia's Norte del Valle Cartel, Avila鈥榮 life seemed destined to revolve around criminal activities. She was born into a family closely associated with drug trafficking, and her uncle was Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, alias 鈥渢he Godfather,鈥� who was one of Mexico鈥檚 first major drug traffickers.
Over the years, she ascended the country鈥檚 criminal hierarchy by using romantic relationships to her advantage. Both of her ex-husbands were notoriously corrupt police chiefs, and both were murdered in drug-related killings. Prior to her current relationship with Espinosa Ramirez, Avila was romantically linked with , alias "El Mayo," a major figure in the Sinaloa Cartel.
To this day she enjoys significant influence because of her criminal ties, a fact that was most recently evidenced in January, when a prison doctor gave her a facial Botox injection while in prison, a luxury procedure that is not authorized for Mexican inmates. The treatment sparked something of a resulting in the dismissal of the prison's director and hospital chief.
Still, Avila鈥檚 current level of involvement in criminal activities is not clear. For her part, she claims that her only source of income comes from 鈥� a claim that, considering her background, is highly suspect to say the least. In December, a Mexican judge , saying that the prosecution failed to 鈥渆stablish the circumstances of time, manner, place, and occasion鈥� in which the crimes were committed. Despite the acquittal, federal attorneys have vowed to appeal the ruling. Additionally, in March Avila was charged with laundering money, and a court has ordered
The most recent decision effectively blocks Avila from being extradited, unless US prosecutors are able to submit new, extraditable charges in their case against her. This surely irks US drug officials, who are already frustrated by which have postponed the timeline for his extradition.
--- is a writer for , which provides research, analysis, and investigation of the criminal world throughout the region. Find all of his research .
