Now, after more than seven years behind bars, the woman known as “The Queen of the Pacific” is free. A judge ruled in favor of her appeal last week, Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said in a statement Saturday.
Sandra Ávila Beltrán’s story is the subject of a best-selling book and a popular ballad.
She was first arrested in Mexico City on September 28, 2007, smiling before cameras as authorities trumpeted her detention.
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In an interview with Anderson Cooper that aired on “60 Minutes” and CNN in 2009, Ávila denied the charges against her and blamed Mexico’s government for allowing drug trafficking to flourish.
“In Mexico there’s a lot of corruption, a lot. Large shipments of drugs can come into the Mexican ports or airports without the authorities knowing about it. It’s obvious and logical,” she said. “The government has to be involved in everything that is corrupt.”
CNN’s Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report.
