Laura Elena Zúñiga Huizar (born 3 January 1985), is a Mexican model and former beauty queen, who in December 2008 became a central figure in an international drug trafficking scandal. The critically acclaimed 2011 film '' Miss Bala'' (''Miss Bullet'') is loosely based on Zúñiga and her involvement in the events of December 2008.

Biography

After winning the state pageant title of Nuestra Belleza Sinaloa, Laura Zúñiga competed against thirty-two other contestants in the national pageant uestra Belleza México 2008 held on September 20, 2008, in

Monterrey, Nuevo León Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...

, where she placed as the ''suplente'' and was automatically selected to represent the country in the

Miss International 2009 Miss International 2009, the 49th Miss International pageant, was held on November 28, 2009, at the Sichuan International Tennis Center in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. The pageant was originally scheduled to be held on November 7, 2009, at The Ven ...

pageant.

Scandal

On December 22, 2008, Laura Zuñiga was arrested in

Zapopan, Jalisco Zapopan () is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, the population of Zapopan city proper makes it the second largest city in the state, very close behind the population of G ...

, along with seven men who allegedly carried US$53,000 in cash, two AR-15 rifles, three handguns, 633 cartridges of different calibers, and 16 cellphones. The arrest was made by the state police of Zapopan and Mexican Army officers. In her initial statement, Zuñiga declared that she was on her way to a party in Guadalajara and that she and her boyfriend were going "shopping in Colombia and Bolivia." The media noted that Colombia and Bolivia are both main suppliers of cocaine to the Mexican drug cartels. During a later interview with

Joaquín López-Dóriga Joaquín López-Dóriga Velandia (born 8 February 1947) is a Spanish Mexican journalist. He started working as a journalist for the daily ''El Heraldo de México'' at the age of 18, and two years later he joined Jacobo Zabludovsky in the televisi ...

in Radio Formula, Zuñiga declared that she was kidnapped by her boyfriend Ángel Orlando García Urquiza, apparently a high-ranking leader of the

Juárez Cartel The Juárez Cartel (Spanish: ''Cártel de Juárez''), also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the Mexico—U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. The cartel is one ...

and brother of an imprisoned drug lord, and that she was unaware of his illicit activities. The critically acclaimed 2011 film, Miss Bala, or ''Miss Bullet'', is loosely based on Zuñiga. Several key facts are switched in the film, for example, replacing the setting from Sinaloa to Baja California. The basic structure of Zuñiga's story remains, however, such as the allegations of corruption in the pageant organization, Zuñiga's presentation to the media at the time of her arrest, and her allegations that she was not involved in narcotrafficking. Both Zuñiga and the main character, Laura Guerrero, even wear the same clothing when presented to the media and when crowned beauty queens. The Nuestra Belleza Mexico organization released a statement saying it had no knowledge of Zuñiga's alleged narco-trafficking ties and that it would decide pending an investigation whether or not to let her keep her crown. "Nuestra Belleza Mexico has been a serious, honest and transparent organization", said the group's president

Lupita Jones María de Guadalupe "Lupita" Jones Garay (, ; born 6 September 1967) is a Mexican television producer, model, actress, and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1991. She was the first Mexican contestant to win the crown. Since 1994, Jones ...

, in the statement sent to the media. On December 25, 2008, a second statement was released announcing that Zuñiga had been stripped of her title as Miss Mexico International 2009. Her successor,

Anagabriela Espinoza Anagabriela Espinoza Marroquín (born April 18, 1988) is a Mexican model and beauty queen who won Miss International 2009 on November 28, 2009, in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. At the age of nineteen, Anagabriela Espinoza competed against thirty-th ...

, was awarded the crown. On December 26, 2008, she was dethroned as Reina Hispanoamericana 2008 and replaced by Vivian Noronha Cia from Brazil. Zuñiga was sentenced to 40 days under arrest but was released from the detention center on January 30, 2009, after the judge found no evidence that tied her to any criminal activity. Zuñiga made a quiet comeback into the modeling industry in 2010.El Informador – Miss Sinaloa Vuelve Al Modelaje
Informador.com.mx.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuniga, Laura 1985 births Beauty pageant controversies Nuestra Belleza México winners Mexican people of Basque descent Models from Sinaloa People from Culiacán Living people