U.S. confirms 'Queen of the South' is in custody and will face drug trafficking charges

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that the Queen of the South (or Reina del Sur), Amanda Rachelle Miller (33), is on U.S. soil.

Originally from Tucson, Miller was apprehended in Culiacan, Mexico and deported at the end of May of this year. Here she will face drug trafficking charges. She could be punished with up to 20 years in prison and fines between $500,000 and $10 million, the DOJ explained.

The escape and recapture of the 'Queen of the South'

The Queen of the South had been a fugitive for three and a half years, when she fled the United States after being released on bail.

She was captured, that first time, during a police operation in a Tucson motel as part of an investigation into the distribution of narcotics in this type of establishment. She was apprehended as she fled the scene. In her room they found drugs, a scale, thousands of dollars in cash and a record book - allegedly for narcotics distribution - with "Amanda" written on the back cover.

Miller escaped in 2020. Then in late 2021, in Mexico, an undercover officer contacted her posing as a buyer. She used the alias Queen of the South and claimed to have ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. In addition to gathering incriminating information, agents were able to identify a network of people in Arizona who conducted business on her behalf. 

Another Sinaloa Cartel Onslaught?

The DOJ did not confirm the detainee's link to the Sinaloa Cartel. If true, it would be another blow to the criminal group that just this week lost its co-founder and head honcho, Ismael El Mayo Zambada Garcia, when he was arrested at a private airport in Texas. 

According to the New York Times, El Mayo was tricked by Joaquín Guzmán López, son of Joaquín Guzmán Loera (known as El Chapo), who was on the same aircraft. 

Loera allegedly told the cartel boss that they were going to look at real estate in northern Mexico, not suspecting that they would actually cross the border and end up handcuffed at a Texas airport. All of this, according to the same report, to improve conditions for his brother, Ovidio Guzmán, who was detained in the United States.