Laura Zuniga

Laura Elena Zuniga Huizar, a beauty queen from Mexico, was among eight people arrested on December 23, 2008, after police stopped two vehicles that contained AR-15 assault rifles, guns, ammunition and more than $50,000 in cash. The group was stopped outside of Guadalajara after Mexican authorities received a tip.CNN: Police Detain Mexican Beauty Queen, Seize Weapons (December 24, 2008) Zuniga was jailed for a maximum of 40 days pending an investigation into possible criminal charges.FOXNews.com: Mexican Beauty Queen Ordered to Jail After Arrest in Car Full of Guns, Cash (December 26, 2008) As a result of the arrest, Zuniga was forced to forfeit her title of Hispanoamerican Queen.CRIME Blog: Beauty Queen Arrested in Mexico Drug Case Forfeits Title (December 27, 2008)

Laura Zuniga was arrested on December 23, 2008. Zuniga was in a truck that was stopped at a military checkpoint near Zapopan, which is outside of Guadalajara. Police found weapons and cash. She told officers that they were going on a shopping trip. Zuniga and the eight men she was with were all arrested on arms charges.Sky News: Laura Zuniga: Mexico Beauty Queen Arrested With Suspected Gang... (December 24, 2008)

In 2008, Zuniga was the reigning beauty queen of Sinaloa, Mexico. In November 2008, she won Miss Hispanic America and came in third in the Miss Mexico contest. Zuniga was expected to represent Mexico in the Miss International Pageant in 2009.Chron.com: Mexico Beauty Queen Linked to Alleged Mobsters Arrested (December 24, 2008) Zuniga's boyfriend, Angel Orlando Garcia Urquiza, who was among those she was traveling with, was called "one of the greatest capos of narcotraffic" by the secretary of public security in Jalisco, Mexico.CNN: Police Detain Mexican Beauty Queen, Seize Weapons (December 24, 2008)