Sandra Avila Beltran, better known as the Queen of the Pacific, is possibly the highest profile alleged female drug trafficker in Mexico. She has enjoyed somewhat of a celebrity status, even while behind bars. Recently, a famous Mexican investigative journalist wrote a book about her escapades based on a series of prison interviews conducted with the trafficking queen. The book is filled with sordid tales of romantic relationships with some very high profile drug kingpins.
Such celebrity status for a criminal evokes memories of one of my favorite movies, Natural Born Killers. I can imagine these prison interviews being similar to those conducted by Robert Downey Jr. when he went to visit Woody Harrelson in jail for his American Maniacs show. Except the interviews with Beltran probably didn’t incite a massive prison riot where everyone, including the warden, gets killed in the bloodbath.
It seems that Beltran’s celebrity status has also earned her more than her share of privileges during her prison stay (she has been incarcerated since 2007 on drug trafficking and money laundering charges). Some of these privileges seem rather minor, such as permission to wear non-regulation clothing (most notably sunglasses and high heels). But it seems that recently, these privileges went too far, causing some prison heads to roll.
The warden and medical chief were recently fired due to allegations that they permitted Beltran to undergo BOTOX treatments in her jail cell. According to sources from within the prison, these treatments were administered by a plastic surgeon over a period of several hours, and there was more to come. Allegedly, Betran had a jail cell liposuction procedure scheduled for the not-too-distant future.
Incidentally, it appears that Beltran should be able to receive these treatments in a more professional setting. She was acquitted of cocaine trafficking charges in December; however, she is still being held in prison pending an appeal from the prosecution. I guess things work a bit differently in Mexico.
If she is eventually released, she still may face extradition to the United States over charges associated with the seizure of nine tons of cocaine from a fishing boat off the coast of Mexico in 2001. So it may be awhile before she gets that liposuction procedure she desperately covets.
I’m not sure what to make of this. Why would she need BOTOX in jail? I can see the liposuction, since the removal of fat cells is permanent. She can enjoy showing off her newly sculpted body once she eventually gets out of jail. But BOTOX only lasts a couple of months. By the time she gets released, she will look all old and wrinkly once again. So what’s the point? Who is she trying to impress inside prison walls? Since she is widely considered to be the largest female drug trafficker in Mexico, it seems doubtful that she will get accosted in the shower by horny, rambunctious inmates. And even if she was the type who got off on that, I doubt a little bit of BOTOX would really boost her prospects. I mean, who in their right mind would take on the drug queen of Mexico?
Regardless, it seems that the person who ultimately got a raw deal here was the warden. I guess someone had to take the fall for this nonsense. Hopefully, Ms. Beltran rewards the warden with a big suitcase of drug money when she gets released. That would only seem fair under the circumstances.
