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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | October 2007 
Accused Female Drug Lord Ordered Held Over for Trial in Mexico
 Mark Stevenson - Associated Press
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| | In this photo released by Mexico's Federal Secretary of Public Safety, Sandra Avila Beltran, also known as the 'Queen of the Pacific,' left, is seen next to famous Mexican drug trafficker Ismael Zambada, right, in this 1993 police evidence photo released on the day of Avila Beltran's arrest in Mexico City, Sept. 28, 2007. The raven-haired 46-year-old worked her way to the top of Mexico's male-dominated illegal drug industry, prompting U.S. officials to issue a warrant for her arrest. (AP/Mexico's Federal Secretary of Public Safety) |
Mexico City – A Mexican judge on Friday ordered Sandra Avila Beltran, a reputed drug cartel leader called “The Queen of the Pacific,” to stand trial on charges of organized crime, money-laundering and conspiracy to traffic drugs.
The ruling means that Avila Beltran who is wanted in the United States, won't be extradited until her trial is finished here. Known for her insouciance and good looks, prosecutors have linked Avila Beltran romantically to several top traffickers.
Local media have described the government's case against Avila Beltran – who claims she made her money selling clothes and renting houses – as weak. But a federal judge ruled there was enough evidence to justify a trial on the charges.
Avila Beltran was arrested last week along with her Colombian boyfriend, reputed drug lord Juan Diego Espinoza Ramirez, in an upscale Mexico City neighborhood.
She is being held at a women's prison in the capital pending trial. U.S. embassy personnel were not immediately able to say what charges Avila Beltran faces in the United States.
Mexican prosecutors say there is a U.S. extradition request pending and have accused Avila Beltran of being the Sinaloa drug cartel's liaison with other drug gangs and facilitating the movement of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico, including nine tons confiscated from a ship in Manzanillo in 2002.
Avila Beltran could be sent to the U.S. once her trial is over. A so-called “temporary extradition” arrangement with the United States allows suspects serving prison sentences in Mexico to be sent north for trial, but they must then return to Mexico to finish out their sentences here. |
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