PGR Will Return Property to “La Reina del Pacifico”

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: El Universal

By: Diana Lastiri and Tasneen Hernández
03/11/2018 01:48 justiciaysociedad@eluniversal.com.mx
Extra Material from: Debate

Sonora - The Attorney General's Office (PGR) has announced that one of the properties in litigation will be returned to Sandra Ávila Beltrán, "La Reina del Pacífico", located in Hermosillo, Sonora.

The "Queen of the Pacific", as Sandra Ávila Beltrán is known , is in a legal battle with the Attorney General of the Republic to have her houses and /or property returned to her,  plus two insurance policies.

Regarding  the accusations made against her in 2011 on money laundering and crimes against health, the PGR has not released a statement about returning her property. The same  properties had been insured after the investigations of the case in 2011, although it is not known whether Avila Beltrán's request will be granted.

The  "Queen of the Pacific" has only been able to recover about 10 million pesos, so far ie,  estimated in monies which have been withdrawn from bank accounts.

These could be returned to Sandra Ávila Beltrán because the Amparo Judge forced the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, the PGR,  to release and return her property to her.

Sandra Avila Beltran:

The "Queen of the Pacific" is  the niece of Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, known as the "Czar of Cocaine" in Mexico. The authorities pointed to Sandra Avila Beltran  as the  apparent link with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and the Cartel del Valle del Norte de Colombia.

Ávila Beltrán has been able to recover the amount of 10 million pesos in jewelry , two vehicles that had been insured in 2002 and three houses in Mexico City.

With the case, the "Queen of the Pacific" began by reclaiming of two bank accounts, however, she and her lawyers did not submit the necessary documentation so she has not yet been credited as the owner of those accounts.

She managed to get an Amparo / protection issued against the PGR on behalf of the Second District Judge in Sonora, where she claims to own a house located in Hermosillo; one that is valued at 4 million pesos. (approx $200,000 USD)

At the moment said property has not been delivered, although it has been requested since January by the Second District Judge to the PGR and the Public Registry of the Property of Sonora.

Through a legal notification it was learned that the legal representatives of Ávila Beltrán must appear before the corresponding authorities in the state of Sonora on March 13th in  order  to "make the physical and legal delivery of the property."

The document of the nullity, dated March 9, of the agreements that retained the property of Ávila Beltrán is reported, as well as "the lifting of the assurance decreed in the order of August 2, 2004, within a preliminary investigation, only and exclusively, so it refers to the same site. " 

The document also states that Sandra Beltrán Ávila must be notified of the contents of the storage unit at her home and by the persons she, herself has  authorized.

The fourth point was established that one must inform the person in charge of the Public Registry of Property and Commerce of Hermosillo, Sonora, to raise and leave unsubstantiated the annotation that had been ordered by an office.

The document orders that each and every one of the proceedings be carried out in accordance with the law, for the physical delivery of the land to the complaining party and to those authorized to do so. Finally, a judge in the state of Sonora must be informed so that the execution will be considered complete.

The legal battle of the "Queen of the Pacific" began after her acquittal in 2011, when the accusations of the PGR against Ávila Beltrán for money laundering and crimes against health, were left without proof or finality.  The agency has not finished returning the assets that it secured/ confiscated as part of the investigation.

El Universal reported that in the past two years, Sandra Ávila Beltrán recovered 10 million pesos in jewelry, three houses located south of Mexico City and two vehicles that were insured in 2002, an armored Lobo truck and a 2002 BMW. 

Before a judge, she filed two amparos to request the return of two insurance policies on behalf of her and her son and the release of two of her bank accounts. In a filing,  the Amparo Judge granted her the protection of justice so that the PGR cannot justify why they have not returned the insurance policies.

At the trial, the Federal Public Ministry indicated that it could not deliver the policies because it does not know the fate of them and they require time to carry out ministerial efforts to find out what happened to them.

The judge considered that the Public Prosecutor's Office was not sufficiently consistent and exhaustive in its response, because it did not explain what steps or procedures were taken to determine the final destination of the policies.

In his sentence, the judge ordered the PGR to duly justify their  response and explain the procedures they will carry out.

On March 2, the PGR challenged the ruling of the judge of Amparo, so a Collegiate Court in Mexico City will review whether or not to give further explanations on the fate of insurance policies.

Today is March 14th; stay tuned.