A female cartel boss has been killed after a shootout with police ended by her being fatally wounded.
The unassuming 21-year-old was allegedly the leader of an infamous Mexican cartel and in videos taken just after the gun fight, she can be seen struggling for breath after receiving a bullet wound to the neck.
Advert
Nicknamed 'La Catrina', Maria Guadalupe Lopez Esquivel was suspected of being one of the leaders of the country's Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
She was often seen on social media, flashing her lavish lifestyle and posing with guns.
Since leading a team of hit men to carry out an ambush on police in Michoacan State on October 14 2019, she had been hiding in a safe house with other cartel members, when the authorities received a tip off.
National Guard police took the gang on before the fight broke out, leaving Esquivel with a neck wound. Body-cam footage shows her sitting on the floor with blood all over her face and clothes.
Advert
She can be seen struggling for breath, with one of the policemen telling her to stay calm and wait for the helicopter which will take her to hospital.
The officer can be heard saying: "Calm down, kid. The helicopter is coming for you. It is coming now, easy, easy, you are going to be okay. Try to hang on."
She can then be seen in the arms of a soldier while she is waiting for the aircraft to land properly and airlift her to safety.
Advert
Local media reports that she died from the gunshot wound several minutes after the helicopter took off.
It is said that La Catrina joined the cartel in 2017 - she had reportedly fallen in love with another leader, Miguel 'El M2' Fernandez and rose quickly through the ranks under El M2, living a glamorous lifestyle within the cartel.
When she died she was in charge of paying fellow criminals and lead assassinations, extortion and kidnappings.
El M2 was allegedly also arrested during the raid.
The CJNG took off between 2013 and 2015 and is said to be to be the most dangerous and largest Mexican cartel under their leader, Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, aka 'El Mencho' - it operates in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Advert
The police found 10 firearms with ammunition and seized several vehicles during a later raid, according to reports.
National Guard officers also reportedly arrested several cartel colleagues identified as Alejandra, Everardo, Brayan, Juan Carlos, Octavio, Pedro and Alejandro.
Featured Image Credit: CENTopics: World News, crime, Drugs