Mexican Cartel Queen Pleads Guilty To Drug Trafficking Charges

A Mexican cartel queen could be headed to prison, not a palace, after pleading guilty in Miami to drug charges.

Sandra Avila Beltran, a former go-between for Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and Colombia’s Norte Valle cartel, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact in a drug trafficking operation. The Mexican cartel queen was working in an organization that included Juan Diego Espinosa Ramirez, her boyfriend at the time.

Known as the “Queen of the Pacific,” Beltran admitted to helping Espinosa while he was on the run from the law between 2002 and 2004.

“Between approximately 2002 and 2004, Avila-Beltran provided financial assistance for travel, lodging and other expenses to [Espinosa] with the intention of preventing or hindering his arrest for drug-trafficking crimes,” court documents said.

Avila was a fixture in the male-dominated world of drug trafficking. The Mexican cartel queen reportedly gained a dominant role in the Sinaloa cartel with influence over ocean supply routes.

Her story has been popular in Mexican media, leading to a fascination with Avila and her romantic relationship with the Colombian drug leader.

Avila also appeared to live the pampered life of a celebrity, akin to singers and movie stars. She had a famous taste for high fashion and gourmet food and was obsessed with beauty. There was even a rumor that a doctor visited her in a Mexican prison to administer her Botox injections.

She could have faced a life sentence if convicted of the offenses but now is expected to receive a lesser sentence that includes six years she already served in a Mexican prison before being extradited in August.

“Both sides felt the charge of accessory after the fact would be reflective of a fair and just result,” Avila’s attorney, Howard Schumacher, told The Miami Herald.

The Mexican cartel queen faces up to 15 years in prison at her July 25 sentencing.