One thing is clear, Laura Zuniga is beautiful. The 5 feet 7 inches tall beauty queen won the Miss Hispanic America title in October. She was the center of the media buzz. But oh how press can change in just a matter of months. Just recently, Laura traded in her crown for a pair of handcuffs. (No, nothing kinky...) Laura was arrested by police and allegedly was in an SUV which contained 9-mm pistols, semiautomatic rifles and $53,000 in cash. A judge has ordered Laura and her boyfriend, along with six others, to be detained for 40 days pending charges on racketeering, drug trafficking, guns and money laundering.
The 23-year-old beauty queen is from Sinaloa. Laura was once compared to the heroine of Queen of the South, a fictional work about a beautiful drug trafficker. (Pictures of the center of Mexico's drug-trafficking industry.) Just a few weeks later, has Laura become just another fallen star whose deterioration is attributable to crime? (Read TIME's top 10 crime stories of 2008.)
Keep in mind, Laura is innocent until proven guilty. Who knows how deeply she was involved in drug trade? Perhaps, she was simply oblivious to what was going on around her as her father suggests. But some things look bad. Her boyfriend, Orlando Garcia Urquiza, is allegedly a high-ranking member of the Juarez Cartel, which allegedly controls smuggling into west Texas. Garcia's brother, Ricardo Urquiza, is allegedly the cartel's operational commander. Ricardo was arrested three years ago. Laura's family continues to deny her involvement in any illegal activity. Perhaps they are correct. But the lure of high class living can be too powerful for some. See TIME's Pictures of the Week. Let's hope Laura bounces back from this experience.
Laura Zuniga is presumed innocent until otherwise proven in a court of law. Please read the Time Article which served as one of the references for this story.
Nominate your choice for the top Legal Pub Article of the year by sending email to
legalpub@legalpub.net. The top story will be announced on January 1st!
Posts
5 comments:
The road from fame to jail can be paved with a lot of huge chuck holes. Best of luck to Laura...
Shell
Wow, seems like to much of a coincidence to not be involved.
I thinks she was just a clueless chick caught up in a bad crowd.
She will beat the rap, cuz!
Tough luck, gal.
Post a Comment