MEXICO CITY — A Mexican beauty queen arrested in a truck filled with weapons was ordered jailed pending an investigation into possible drug trafficking and gun charges, authorities said Friday.
A judge ordered Miss Sinaloa Laura Zuniga and seven men arrested with her held for 40 days while police decide whether to charge them, the federal Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
Investigators say Zuniga was dating one of the men, Angel Orlando Garcia, alleged to be one of the leaders of the powerful Juarez drug cartel.
The couple was traveling with six alleged bodyguards in Zapopan, outside Guadalajara, when soldiers stopped their two trucks at a military checkpoint Monday. Inside, authorities found a large stash of weapons, ammunitions and $53,300 in U.S. currency.
Zuniga told police they were planning to travel to Bolivia and Colombia to go shopping.
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Zuniga’s father, Jesus Esteban Zuniga, said his daughter had told him she was going to a Christmas party in Guadalajara. He told The Associated Press he does not believe his daughter is involved in drug trafficking.
Zuniga, a 23-year-old former preschool teacher, won the Miss Sinaloa title in July. She placed third in the Miss Mexico contest, whose winner competes for the Miss Universe title. As third-runner up, she was expected to represent Mexico in the 2009 Miss International contest.
Pageant organizers say they are awaiting the results of the investigation before deciding whether to strip her of her crowns.
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