Sinaloa Beauty Queen Dies in Shootout with the Military

Caitime, Salvador Alvarado

A clash between soldiers and an armed group that began at in the communities of El Palmar Leal and El Progresso, Mocorito and spread to Caitime, Salvador Alvarado left a balance of four dead, one being Susana Gámez Flores.

Sinaloa • María Susana Gámez Flores, 2012 Sinaloa Woman beauty pageant winner, and her boyfriend were killed amid a military confrontation against the armed group.

State Ministerial Police authorities confirmed that the 22-year-old allegedly accompanied the group of attackers who confronted the soldiers at a safe house in the town of Caitime, in the municipality of Salvador Alvarado.

Flores Gámez was crowned Sinaloa Woman in February 2012. In 2009 she was named Model of the Year.

María Susana was selected from over 50 applicants as Miss Tourism East Mexico, so in May, she represented  Mexico at the Miss International Oriental, in China.

Though authorities have not submitted an official statement about this death, the organizers of the beauty contest posted on her Facebook page: "The coordination of Nuestra Belleza Sinaloa expresses its deepest condolences on the death of the beautiful Maria Susana Flores, participant Nuestra Belleza Sinaloa 2012. "We are dismayed by the news, a beautiful young woman, happy and with a great future ahead, rest in peace and God Susy have in your holy glory, our deepest sympathy to her mother and brothers, "concludes the text. Who was the Miss Sinaloa? 

The model was originally from Gramuchil and was working towards a degree in communication sciences.

The scuffle occurred last Saturday and lasted from Caitime to El Palmar de Los Leal in  Mocorito. Two soldiers also died, two more subjects (one victim of the armed group), along with the young model.

According to information from the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA), a military convoy was traveling on the streets of Caitime when they were attacked by gunmen who later took refuge in a safe house Mocorito.

Soldiers repelled the aggression, killing one guy. After that first attack, the command made it out of the home and took flight.

However, they were chased by the military towards El Palmar Los Leal, where Maria Susana was killed.

The El Progreso, neighbor was identified as Rosario Mendez Rios, 54, who was killed when gunmen seized his vehicle to escape. There are reports his wife also died in the fray, but it is unconfirmed. Authorities said the gunmen shot him several times trying to steal his truck.

The armed group is allegedly linked to Orso Iván Gastélum Cruz, El Cholo Iván o El Cholo Vago,  who serves as head of the Sinaloa cartel hitmen in the region of Évora.

Orso Iván Gastélum  escaped from Aguaruto prison in August 2009  after a party held at the module five to say goodbye of his friends. He provide his friends with entertainment from norteño conjunto band and a singer Harley Pérez.

According to information from the Army, after the confrontation they arrested three alleged gunmen, who were identified as Gabino Ramírez López, 23; Álvaro Cázares Uribe, 22, y Óscar Yovani Rodríguez Beltrán,  22.

The other deceased was identified as Eleazar López Bernal and belonged to the armed group that attacked the military.

In the confrontation five soldiers were injured. They were taken to the military hospital in Mazatlan, where one died, Francisco Guadalupe Gutierrez  Aguilar, 35, who was a sergeant. The other soldier died at the scene, but his identity was not provided.

In the safe house, they found seven AK-47s, a grenade launcher, two grenades, a .40 mm caliber rifle and a thousand rounds, and six vehicle (one armored).

When Beauty Walks Hand In Hand with Narcos

When Beauty Walks Hand in Hand with Narcos

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 26. - The art world has not been free of scandals involving organized crime.  Many landmark cases have come to light as a result of the fight against drug cartels.

One of the most notorious cases was that of Sinaloa model and winner of the contest Nuestra Belleza Sinaloa Laura Elena Zúñiga Huizar, who was arrested in Zapopan in December 2008, along with seven heavily armed men.

Zuniga Huizar was then 23 years old. At that time, the group was arrested in Guadalajara, Jalisco, carrying weapons and thousands of dollars in cash.

Eight people were arrested at a roadblock conducted by the Army and local police in Zapopan, Guadalajara, while traveling aboard two trucks.

The model and the detainees were turned over to the Attorney General of the State (PGJE) and subsequently transferred to the SIEDO (SEIDO now), and were held during the vetting/investigation period period for 40 days.The authorities seized weapons and $ 18,000 in cash. 

The girl, who was crowned in July 2008 as the queen of Sinaloa and was also winner of the contest Queen Hispano, held in Bolivia, was released for lack of evidence against her.

However, the modeling world has been marred by the stigma of her detention and from that year on her appearances in the modeling industry have been discrete.

Other cases include that of Silvia Irabien . On January 27, 2010, La Chiva acknowledged having a daughter with José Jorge Balderas Garcia, El JJ.

Alicia Machado . The former Miss Universe has been linked to drug kingpin Gerardo Alvarez Vazquez, El Indio. She has always denied it.

Gabriela Fernandez . The Venezuelan was arrested by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service for alleged links to drug traffickers.

Laura Cantillo . On August 10, 2011, the model was removed from a contest in Colombia for an alleged relationship with Mexican drug lord.

Maria Susana Flores Gamez . She worked as a model and was winner of the Sinaloa Women contest in February 2012. In 2009 she was named Model of the Year. She possessed the crown of Miss Tourism East Mexico, so the last May represented the country in Miss International Oriental Tourism.  The diaries of Sinaloa say Flores Gamez was originally from Guamuchil, Sinaloa, and was studying for Bachelor of Communication degree from the University. She was shot and killed by soldiers on Sunday.

Also from Sinaloa Emma Coronel who married Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman the day she turned 18.

Milenio, Lineadirecta, Excelsior