The Rising Role of Women Like Beauty Queens in Drug Trafficking - Essay Example

“Ávila is one of the most colorful figures to emerge in recent years from Mexico's narcotics industry and the appalling violence that has cost as many as 60,000 lives there since a government offensive began in 2006.” (Harris, The Observer).My interest in this topic was further fuelled after watching trailers from an upcoming Oliver Stone movie ‘Savages’, which stars Salma Hayek as a ruthless female drug lord. After reading about Avila and watching trailers of ‘Savages’, I realized that women are more deeply involved in drug trafficking than it is widely believed.

The involvement of high-profile women from the world of fashion in dangerous, life-threatening, and illegal activities also raises other important questions like the reasons and factors that contribute to their involvement and their manipulation on the basis of their gender in drug trafficking. A research article by Council on Hemispheric Affairs stated:Because a woman could use her appearance to bypass security officers, DTO affiliates began attending beauty pageants held in Latin America in order to approach contestants with the lures associated with drug trafficking.

Colombian beauty queen and lingerie model, Angie Valencia, who was supposedly using other young, beautiful models to transport drugs in an international cocaine ring. (Mares, COHA)This research topic would not only explore the dual roles of women as victims and perpetrators but would also investigate the ambiguous roles played by women in the complex web of the underworld. “According to the National Women's Institute (INMUJERES), the number of females convicted in connection to the drug trade rose 400 percent between 2007 and 2010.

” (Ramsey, Insight)Such facts and figures about the involvement of women in drug trafficking are likely to attract students of women and gender studies, legal studies, criminal psychology, etc. The data available at the official websites of law enforcement agencies, newspaper articles, human rights organizations, etc. shall prove to be the most authentic sources of acquiring information about this topic.