Sonia Sanjinez de Atala (born ) is a Bolivian former

drug trafficker The illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, or narcotrafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types ...

. A member of "

La Corporación La Corporación ("The Corporation"), also known as the Santa Ana Cartel, was a Bolivian drug cartel and criminal organization, headed in the 1970s and 1980s by notorious drug lord Roberto Suárez Gómez, known as the "King of Cocaine". "La Corpo ...

" ("The Corporation"), Atala was one of the

narcos ''Narcos'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. Set and filmed in Colombia, seasons 1 and 2 are about Colombian narcoterrorist and drug lord Pablo Escobar, leader ...

responsible for the 1980 Bolivian coup d'état, known as the "Cocaine Coup", and the most powerful female drug lord in Bolivia at the time.

Criminal career

Atala was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. According to Consortium News, she was the niece of drug trafficker Hugo Hurtado-Candia. She sold television sets and radios to Panama before she was hired by

Luis Arce Gómez Luis Arce Gómez (1938 – March 30, 2020) was a colonel in the Bolivian Army. In 1980 he backed the bloody coup (sometimes referred to as the "Cocaine Coup") that brought to power the General Luis García Meza. Arce served as García Meza's ...

to smuggle drugs. She was imprisoned in

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

under the presidency of

Lidia Gueiler Tejada Lidia Gueiler Tejada (28 August 1921 – 9 May 2011) was a Bolivian politician who served as the 56th president of Bolivia on an interim basis from 1979 to 1980. She was Bolivia's first female Head of State, and the second female head of state ...

, but for a short period. After the "Cocaine Coup" in 1980, installed by various Bolivian drug kingpins, Minister of the Interior Luis Arce Gomez put Atala in charge of smuggling cocaine and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

operations across the country. She paid her smugglers $20,000 monthly with a $500 tax for each kilogram of cocaine. According to ex-DEA agent Michael Levine (later her undercover partner), Atala was described as a "very beautiful but deadly woman" who could order people dead anywhere in the country. Her mansion in Santa Cruz was known as the "Torture House" due to her enforcers taking in enemies and torturing them. Atala was protected by an enforcer group made of Neo-Nazi mercenaries trained by

Klaus Barbie Nikolaus Barbie (25 October 1913 – 25 September 1991) was a German officer of the ''Schutzstaffel'' and ''Sicherheitsdienst'' who worked in Vichy France during World War II. He became known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for having personally tortu ...

. In the mid-1980s, a period where Atala grew too powerful, the Bolivian narco government betrayed her during a cocaine deal with the Medellin Cartel. Atala was on the run from Luis Fernando Arcila Mejia ("Papa Mejia"), a Colombian drug smuggler whom Atala had refused to pay off a drug operation. Atala was present as a key witness at the trial of Luis Arce Gomez, who pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, and received a lighter sentence in return for incriminating information. She is currently under a

witness protection program Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after trials, usually by police. While witnesses may only require p ...

and resides in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Personal life

Atala married auto driver Walter "Pachi" Atala when she was 14 years old. They had four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atala, Sonia Sanjinez De 1951 births Living people People from Santa Cruz de la Sierra Bolivian drug traffickers Bolivian female criminals Female drug traffickers Female gangsters

Criminal career

Personal life

See also

References