▁to ▁tab lo id ▁newspaper ▁coverage . ▁She ▁was ▁a ▁prede cess or ▁of ▁today ’ s ▁drug ▁tra ff ick ing ▁culture ▁in ▁the ▁country . ▁ ▁Est é vez ▁went ▁from ▁being ▁a ▁local ▁deal er ▁to ▁an ▁international ▁tra ff icker ▁at ▁a ▁time ▁when ▁the ▁drug ▁trade ▁was ▁becoming ▁more ▁s oph istic ated . ▁She ▁sold ▁her ▁mer ch and ise ▁both ▁outside ▁and ▁inside ▁of ▁prison ▁for ▁almost ▁thirty ▁years , ▁contrib uting ▁to ▁a ▁crisis ▁in ▁relations ▁between ▁the ▁govern ments ▁of ▁Mexico ▁and ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁E ff ort s ▁against ▁her ▁included ▁a ▁Mexican ▁president ial ▁dec ree , ▁but ▁she ▁avoided ▁a ▁life ▁sentence ▁and ▁continued ▁her ▁activities . ▁ ▁Child hood ▁and ▁introduction ▁to ▁the ▁drug ▁trade ▁Kn own ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁female ▁drug ▁tra ff ick ers ▁in ▁Mexico , ▁La ▁Ch ata ▁began ▁as ▁a ▁vendor ▁of ▁f ried ▁p ork ▁skin ▁( c rack lings ▁or ▁“ ch ich ar ron es ” ) ▁in ▁the ▁La ▁Mer ced ▁bar rio ▁of ▁Mexico ▁City , ▁where ▁she ▁grew ▁up . ▁During ▁her ▁child hood ▁this ▁neighborhood ▁was ▁growing ▁with ▁a ▁large ▁infl ux ▁of ▁imm igr ants ▁from ▁various ▁parts ▁of ▁Mexico , ▁which ▁increased ▁the ▁area ’ s ▁formal ▁and ▁inform al ▁commercial ▁activity . ▁As ▁a ▁child ▁she ▁worked ▁at ▁her ▁mother ’ s ▁stand ▁s elling ▁ch ich ar ron es ▁and ▁coffee . ▁When ▁she ▁was ▁th ir teen , ▁she ▁began