Sandra Avila Beltran Mexico's "Queen Of The Pacific" - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Mexico's "Queen Of The Pacific" - 60 Minutes - CBS News: "Sandra Avila Beltran came to our attention in September 2007 when she was arrested by the Mexican authorities, who allege that she was an intermediary between Mexican drug cartels and their Colombian suppliers.

But in Mexico, Avila Beltran was more than just another arrest - she'd become a celebrity of sorts. Nicknamed 'The Queen of the Pacific,' she was known for her glamorous lifestyle and her rise in a world ordinarily dominated by men.

To learn more about Sandra Avila Beltran, 60 Minutes spoke to Julio Scherer Garcia, a respected journalist in Mexico, and author of Queen of the Pacific: It’s Time To Talk, which was written from a series of interviews he did with her in prison.

Scherer has written extensively about organized crime, including a book in 2001 called Maximum Security, for which he visited prisoners at Mexico's notorious La Palma prison. And he was the founder of Proceso, an investigative news magazine, which he ran for 20 years."

Mexican Drug Queen Acquitted on Trafficking Charges - World Watch - CBS News

Mexican Drug Queen Acquitted on Trafficking Charges - World Watch - CBS News: "The glamorous Sandra Avila Beltran, alias 'the Queen of the Pacific,' allegedly Mexico's most famous woman drug trafficker, was acquitted of drug trafficking charges today by a federal judge in Mexico City due to a lack of evidence.
Sandra Avila Beltran was reputed to play a key public relations role for the Sinaloa cartel, headed by Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, Mexico's most wanted drug trafficker. Avila Beltran is said to have worked on various shipments of cocaine from Colombia to Mexico. She was arrested outside a restaurant in the San Jeronimo neighborhood of Mexico City in September 2007.
Avila Beltran, used to Chanel makeup and the best things money can buy - has been languishing in the Santa Marta Acatitla women's prison in Mexico City."