Glamorous Luz Irene Fajardo Campos, known as La Comadre, La Madrina, and La Dona, once wielded immense power and wealth as the head of a Mexican drug cartel. However, her empire came crashing down when she was arrested. The loss of her freedom was not the only blow she suffered—her two sons were brutally murdered, seemingly as a warning for her not to cooperate with the investigation. Now, as she reflects on her criminal past from her prison cell, we delve into the rise and fall of one of the world’s most notorious cartel queens.
Campos grew up in a middle-class family in Sinaloa, Mexico, and later became a trained lawyer. Despite her seemingly ideal childhood, she turned to selling drugs in California until authorities deported her back to Mexico. Undeterred by her encounter with the law, Campos aligned herself with the drug lords in her hometown and continued her life of crime.
With the help of her adult sons, Campos expanded her operations, running an international drug trafficking empire from Mexico. She purchased cocaine from Colombia and used her own jets and pilots to transport the illicit substances into the United States. For nearly two decades, she evaded capture, partly due to her ability to bribe law enforcement officials in Mexico and Colombia, allowing her to move drugs through international airports.
However, Campos’ luck ran out in April 2017 when she was arrested in Bogota, Colombia and subsequently flown to the United States to face charges. Tragically, it was around this time that her two sons met a gruesome demise in Sonora. They were allegedly dismembered and burned, likely as a warning to Campos not to cooperate with authorities.
During her trial, Campos pleaded not guilty, driven by the grief and trauma of losing her children. Her defense lawyer suggested that no one in her shoes would risk putting their family in further danger. Ultimately, Campos was sentenced to 22 years in prison for attempting to transport cocaine and methamphetamine into the United States. She was also ordered to forfeit $18 million and will face five years of supervised release.
Reflecting on the case, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite emphasized the Department of Justice’s commitment to bringing drug traffickers to justice. He described Campos’ conviction and sentence as a demonstration of their resolve to combat the distribution of dangerous drugs and the corruption that accompanies it.
While Campos now languishes in jail, El Chapo’s sons and their Sinaloa Cartel continue to thrive. El Chapo himself is imprisoned in a supermax federal facility. However, his children, collectively known as Los Chapitos, allegedly lead the cartel, with Ismael El Mayo Zambada playing a significant role as well. The influence of El Chapo’s children was evident when his son, Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested in January last year, leading to violent clashes in Sinaloa.
As the world contemplates the downfall of Luz Irene Fajardo Campos, it is clear that the drug trade remains a persistent and destructive force. The efforts to dismantle cartels and bring their leaders to justice are ongoing, but the allure and power of these criminal organizations continue to pose a significant challenge.
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