Narco Queen Sandra Avila Beltran Dubbed Mexico's 'Queen of the Pacific' Reveals How Kidnapping of Son Led to Her Arrest

Sandra Avila Beltran, the narco queen dubbed as Mexico's "The Queen of the Pacific," has recently opened up about the day her son was kidnapped in 2002, which led to her arrest.

Infobae reported that the narco queen's only son, Jose Luis Fuentes Avila was only 15 years old when an armed person abducted him on April 18, 2002. The kidnapper reportedly arrived at a Puerta de Hierro gym in Guadalajara City in Jalisco state and kidnapped Avila Beltran's son.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, the narco queen said: "It was the greatest pain I have ever been through in my life." Avila Beltran noted that the kidnapper was a friend of her and her son's father.

She told the outlet that "almost always the kidnappings come from the escort, the cousin, there have even been children who have kidnapped their parents... They are the people closest to you."

At the time, Avila Beltran reportedly panicked and went to the Jalisco Attorney General's Office instead of asking for assistance from a criminal group.

"The Queen of the Pacific" told authorities that the kidnapper demanded $5 million from her for her son's release, and this reportedly triggered an investigation. The probe revealed that Avila Beltran did not have a successful business track record but still had large sums of money, which alerted authorities.

The state's anti-kidnapping unit then started to monitor the narco queen's phone calls, and that's when they discovered she had connections with Sinaloa Cartel leaders Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel Villarreal and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, as well as Colombian cocaine dealer Juan Diego Espinosa Ramirez, alias "El Tigre," who was her lover at the time.

The narco queen's son was released after 17 days. Mexican officials said she paid the kidnappers $1.4 million. However, some reports noted that she may have paid as high as $3 million financed by El Mayo and Nacho.

After her son was freed, the newly created Federal Investigation Agency of Mexico began to follow the trail of both The Queen of the Pacific and El Tigre. The couple reportedly moved tons of cocaine from Colombia into the United States.

However, they met their downfall in September 2007, when they were arrested in Mexico City. Avila Beltran believed that a business partner sold her out after she demanded he returns an investment she had made. She claimed her business partner tipped off authorities about their breakfast meeting.

Narco Queen Sandra Avila Beltran Says Life With Drug Lords Was No Different From Marrying a Politician

Sandra Avila Beltran was never convicted of direct participation in drug trafficking. However, she spent time in U.S. and Mexican prisons for being an accessory to criminal activity and money laundering.

During The Daily Beast interview, the narco queen said she should never have been jailed simply for handling the money or assets obtained through criminal activities. Avila Beltran said her relationships with cartel officials were no different from being married to a politician.

She told the outlet: "If I have a husband and he buys me a house, I'm not going to ask him where he got [the money] from, nor do I care. And if someone comes right now and gives me a house or a car, I'm not going to ask them how where they got it from. I don't care."

She went on to say just how many women the Mexican government would incarcerate if they talked about money laundering, even citing the wife of former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, Angelica Rivera, and the wife of another former President Vicente Fox Quesada, Marta Sahagun.

Who Is Narco Queen Sandra Avila Beltran Dubbed 'The Queen of the Pacific'?

Sandra Avila Beltran is one of the most infamous names in the Mexican and Colombian drug trade. She is often considered a narco royalty, as her father, Alfonso Avila Quintero, is also a well-known drug kingpin.

Her narco relations don't stop there, as she is also the niece of Guadalajara Cartel founder Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. The Guardian reported that as a child, Avila Beltran lived a life of luxury, attending a private school, having piano and dance lessons, and frequently going to SeaWorld and Disneyland.

She would often see piles of money in her home and spent hours counting cash as a child. She also usually swiped some of the bills for herself. However, even as she lived a life of luxury, violence was not far behind, witnessing her first shootout at the age of 13.

Her childhood friends also became embroiled in crime, soon growing up to become leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel. Avila Beltran studied journalism at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. However, her dreams ended when a jealous boyfriend with powerful cartel connections kidnapped her.

She left town, ending her dream of becoming an investigative reporter. This was when she decided to finally join the family business. Avila Beltran quickly rose in the ranks, privately meeting with the drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes, also known as El Señor de Los Cielos, at age 21.

She was beautiful and was reportedly not afraid to use her flirting skills to get ahead. The Mexican narco queen dated a top Sinaloa cartel leader and even became good friends with none other than Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman himself.

Avila Beltran was also known as an expert marksman, even beating the head bodyguard to Guadalajara Cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero in a shooting competition.

She was eventually known as "The Queen of the Pacific," handling deals between the Sinaloa Cartel and Colombia's Norte del Valle cartel. It led to another life of luxury for herself, as she often showed off expensive jewelry with her lavish lifestyle.

However, her illegal activities came to haunt her, as she became one of the most wanted women in Mexico. Avila Beltran spent more than seven years in prison. But even in prison, she reportedly still had a lavish lifestyle.

She was allowed maids to serve her food, cigarettes, and alcohol. The narco queen was even wearing bejeweled heels while serving time. Sandra Avila Beltran was released in February 2015 and was not heard of for a while.

She surfaced last year to sue Telemundo and Netflix for launching the series "La Reina Del Sur," which reportedly used her image to promote the show without her consent.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mexico's Former 'Queen of Cocaine', Sandra ÁVila Beltran, Speaks out - From the Guardian