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Las Patronas:

Las Patronas:

The Secret History of Latin America’s Female Cartel Bosses

VICE World News presents the untold stories of the women narcos who became some of Latin America’s most feared—and respected—crime bosses.

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Photo of Digna Valle Photo of Digna Valle

Digna Valle

Matriarch of the notorious Valle Cartel.

Photo of Guadalupe Fernández Valencia Photo of Guadalupe Fernández Valencia

Guadalupe Fernández
Valencia

The highest-ranking woman in the Sinaloa Cartel.

Photo of Luz Fajardo Campos Photo of Luz Fajardo Campos

Luz Fajardo
Campos

Ran a drug-trafficking ring with her sons out of Culiacan.

Photo of Marllory Chacón Rossell Photo of Marllory Chacón Rossell

Marllory Chacón
Rossell

Central America’s most prolific drug trafficker.

Photo of Sebastiana Cottón Vásquez Photo of Sebastiana Cottón Vásquez

Sebastiana Cottón
Vásquez

Humble peasant turned formidable plaza boss.

Photo of Marixa Lemus Pérez Photo of Marixa Lemus Pérez

Marixa Lemus
Pérez

Marixa and her sister Mayra turned local politics into war.

You’ve heard of the drug-trafficking legends Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Pablo Escobar, and the men that surrounded them.

But the story of the women narcos who controlled Latin America’s cocaine routes remains mostly untold. Until now.

VICE World News brings you the stories of how “Las Patronas” rose to power with business acumen, ambition, and sometimes brute force.

Malverde chapel in Culiacan, Mexico.
Malverde is the patron saint for narcos.

Explore The Map

The Patronas’ Routes
and Fiefdoms

AUTHOR'S ROUTE   •
LAND ROUTES   •
AIR ROUTES   •
MARITIME ROUTES   •
Land Routes (visual)
Air and Maritime Routes (visual)
photo

El Espiritu, Digna Valle's Home Base.
Digna Valle and her clan were based in El Espiritu, an important cocaine corridor.

photo

El Florida Official Border Crossing.
One of the few official entry points amongst dozens of clandestine crossings in one of the world's most lawless regions.

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La Reforma (Lorenzana base).
Marllory Chacón Rossell was a regular in the town of La Reforma, where she was allied with the mafia family the Lorenzanas.

photo

Moyuta, Marixa Lemus Perez's base.
Marixa and Mayra Lemus in Moyuta controlled a major stop on the Central American cocaine highway.

photo

San Marcos, Guatemala.
Sebastiana Cottón Vásquez was based in this important trafficking corridor.

photo

photo

Medellín, Colombia, Yaneth Vergara's base.
Yaneth was a key supplier of Colombia cocaine for Marllory Chacón Rossell and Sebastiana Cottón Vásquez.

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Zacapa, important drug transit zone.
Zacapa is a small city where the Lorenzanas, and Marllory Chacón Rossell, were powerful political and business players.

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Culiacan, Mexico, Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia and Luz Fajardo Campos.
Headquarters to the powerful Sinaloa Cartel

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COCAINE ROUTES

The Real-Life Stories of 'Las Patronas'

News

The Brutal Drug Trafficking Matriarch Who Brought Down Her Own Clan

Deborah Bonello

Digna Valle and her brothers ran a tiny town in Honduras like their own personal fiefdom. Until Digna was arrested.

News

How a Single Mom Became the Boss of Guatemala's Drug Lords

Deborah Bonello

Three women worked together to run cocaine from Colombia to the United States.

News

The ‘El Chapo’ of Guatemala Is a Woman

Deborah Bonello

Marixa and her sister Mayra turned local politics into a blood sport on the Guatemala-El Salvador border.

News

Women Are Rising to Power in the Legendary Sinaloa Cartel

Deborah Bonello

The drug trafficking empire founded by El Chapo is seeing more women bosses in its ranks.

Credits

WRITTEN BY DEBORAH BONELLO, Edited by LEAH FEIGER, TIM MARCHMAN AND MICHAEL LEARMONTH; ILLUSTRATIONS BY MICHELLE URRA; DESIGNED AND BUILT BY VICE PRODUCT STUDIO;

With thanks to Ramy Ghaly, Michael Buddle and Sharbil Nammour in the VICE World News security team.

This reporting was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation.