Dying moments of female cartel boss ‘La Catrina’, 21, who oversaw Mexico’s most powerful hit squad that has killed members of security forces; María Lopez Esquivel was fatally wounded in a shootout with police Friday
WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT
Footage shows last moments of dying female cartel boss María Guadalupe López Esquivel aka ‘La Catrina’ in the central Mexico city of Aguililla, on Friday
María Guadalupe López Esquivel, a member of Jalisco New Generation Cartel,, oversaw Mexico’s most powerful hit squad and ordered deadly ambush of 13 cops, after she was fatally wounded in a shootout with police
López Esquivel, 21. was mortally wounded after she and seven other members of Mexico’s most powerful cartel attacked security forces Friday in Aguililla, in the state of Michoacán
She was airlifted to a hospital after the road leading out of the city of La Bocanda was blocked, but she died shortly after
Authorities arrested another woman and six other men, and confiscated a cache of military-style weapons and ammunition
López Esquivel known as ‘La Catrina,’ Mexico’s ‘Grande Dame of Death,’ a satirical skeleton figure celebrated in Mexico on the Day of the Dead, reportedly oversaw an Oct 14, 2019 ambush that left 14 cops dead and nine other injured in the Michoacán city of Aguililla
Friday’s attack, took place during a meeting she had with Miguel ‘M2’ Fernández, a top leader in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Fernández however, escaped unhurt
Video still show last moments of 21-year-old hit squad boss, María Guadalupe López Esquivel, after the gunfight with Mexican forces on Friday in the central state of Michoacán
The video footage showed the dying moments of the female cartel boss after she was fatally wounded during a shootout with police on Friday
The clip and photographs appear to confirm she was María Guadalupe López Esquivel, known as ‘La Catrina,’ a female member of a cartel hit squad that massacred 13 police officers in October.
The 21-year-old was involved in an attack against the military, national guard and police in La Bocanda, a town in the central state of Michoacán.
Authorities in Michoacán said six male gunmen were captured and a woman was killed after they opened fire on soldiers and police in the same area where the October ambush occurred.
María Guadalupe López Esquivel [photo], appeared in a video filmed by the Mexican military struggling to breathe after she was wounded in an attack Friday in the central state of Michoacán
State officials initially did not provide the identity of the woman killed in the Friday shootout, but videos and photos posted on the internet late Sunday showed the woman wounded on a stretcher, with a tattoo of a ‘Catrina’ on her thigh.
Photos of the woman circulated earlier showed the same tattoo in the same place; some photos also show her holding a pistol.
The Catrina is a skeletal female figure with a wide hat that has become associated with Mexico’s Day of the Dead.
María Guadalupe [photo], died from gunshot injuries Friday after she and her cartel gang attacked a convoy of Mexican security forces
A different world: 21-year-old López Esquivel received first aid treatment from the Mexican military after her capture, but died at a local hospital. Photos posted on the internet late Sunday showed the woman wounded on a stretcher, with a tattoo of a ‘Catrina’ on her thigh, same as Esquivel
Footage recorded by the military showed a battered and bloodied López Esquivel sitting on the ground and struggling with her breath.
A Mexican soldier is hear in the video assuring her the medical assistance was on the way.
‘Relax dear, the helicopter is coming for you,’ the serviceman said. ‘Relax dear, you are going to be fine. Try to hold on, OK.’
In a separate video, a soldier carries López Esquivel and kneels on the ground before she was placed inside an awaiting helicopter in the municipality of Tepalcatepec.
The other arrested suspects were identified as Alejandra; Everardo; Brayan Juan; Juan Carlos; Octavio; Pedro; and Alejandro. Because of the Mexican judicial system’s due process laws, the last names of the suspects were not publicized.
In Mexico’s underworld, López Esquivel operated under the name ‘La Catrina,’ Mexico’s ‘Grande Dame of Death.’
Women have sometimes occupied high-level positions as money launderers in drug cartels in the past, but it is rare for them to command or coordinate hit squads.
La Catrina reportedly was meeting with another top cartel cell leader, Miguel ‘M2’ Fernández, before the gang attacked the security forces. M2 reportedly escaped unharmed.
Other gang members allegedly blocked off some of the town roads, which forced the military to request helicopter backup.
López Esquivel took a liking to actress Kate Del Castillo’s portrayal of a female narco boss in the hit Spanish-language series ‘La Reyna del Sur.’
In a controversial move, Del Castillo along with American actor, director and filmmaker Sean Penn secretly met now jailed Sinaloa cartel boss, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, in October 2015,
The meeting took place three months before the Mexican military captured the most dangerous Cartel boss in Mexico and extradited him to USA to stand trial.

While López Esquivel was killed, seven alleged members of her Jalisco New Generation Cartel who were involved in the ambush were captured by the Mexican military and police during the gun battle on Friday.The Mexican military also confiscated a cache of assault rifles and ammunition after the gun battle
María Guadalupe aka ‘La Catrina’ [photo], participated in the Oct 2019 ambush of a police convoy that left 13 cops dead and nine others wounded.
López Esquivel’s voice came up in an audio that was made public after she confirmed the orders handed down by Fernández to kill a convoy of police officers back on October 14 in Aguililla. The cops were executing a warrant at a home in El Aguaje, a town in Aguililla, when they were ambushed by the gang.
Graphic images of the violent assault showed several police officers lying on the grass and a department pickup truck riddled with assault riffle bullets.
At least nine cops were also wounded in the attack. A cellphone video recorded by a motorist showed two police vehicles set on fire.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel gunmen left two written messages on a poster board indicating the group was responsible for the attack and issued a warning to other police officers who were working with their rival groups, signalling out Los Templarios, Viagras and the Chocomiles de Tepeque.
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