RIP Claudia Ochoa Felix — 'El Chapo's Kim Kardashian' Dead At 35
This is a Tarantino movie brought to life.
Instagram A 35-year-old Mexican woman who allegedly ran El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel was found dead in a private home of Musala Island in Culiacán this weekend. Instagram star, Claudia Ochoa Felix gained fame in 2014 for sharing a resemblance to Kim Kardashian and “for posting photos of herself wielding pink and gold AK-47s and toting designer handbags,” The Telegraph reported.
According to the New York Post, Mexican newspapers had previously suggested Felix’s involvement with the Los Ántrax, "an armed enforcement wing of the Sinaloa drug cartel;" deeming her the “Empress of Antrax.” After her husband and leader of Los Antrax, José Rodrigo Arechiga, was arrested for drug trafficking, Felix allegedly took his place as leader of the cartel's elite assassins. There have also been rumors that Felix was once a top assassin for Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.
Although Felix denied claims that she shared ties to the cartel, she flaunted her lavish style and posted suggestive photos featuring firearms to suggest otherwise. Felix was the mother of three children and the wife of José Rodrigo Arechiga. Her official cause of death has not been released at this time.
Read on to find out Claudia Ochoa Felix's relations to the El Chapo’s Sinaloa Cartel and what we know so far about her death — how did Claudia Ochoa Felix die?
1. She was coined the “Anthrax Empress” and the “Kim Kardashian of organized crime”
It is no question that Felix not only shares a close resemblance to Kim K. but captured her nickname perfectly through her seductive, yet controversial gun-toting posts. The Telegraph described her social media posts as “photographs of herself on the Internet wielding pink and gold AK-47s and designer handbags.” It continued to describe her posts with her “driving in sports cars, relaxing in swimming pools and posing with a lion and a leopard.”
2. She allegedly escaped a previous assassination attempt just a month ago
According to The Telegraph, “It was suggested that she had escaped an assassination attempt last month in which another woman was mistaken for her and killed.” After the assassination, Felix gained thousands of followers on social media.
3. She denied connections to the cartel when she was alive
Felix denied allegations of involvement in the cartel many times and even took to Twitter to address these claims by saying that they were nothing but “cowardly lies and slander.”
However, Felix did not try to dim the image that the public perceived of her through her photos. “Adding to the mystique, was her Instagram and Twitter persona, in which she posted photos that showed men in masks, many assault weapons, and more,” according to Heavy.
4. Her husband was arrested in 2013 for drug trafficking
According to Heavy, Felix’s husband, José Rodrigo Arechiga is currently imprisoned for charges related to drug trafficking. “The man known as ‘El Chino Antrax’ was arrested in 2013 at Amsterdam Airport at the request of the United States.” Arechiga pled guilty to: Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Heroin and Cocaine Intended for Importation and Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine, Heroin and Cocaine.
5. Her Twitter and Instagram accounts have since been set to private
Felix had over 100,000 followers on both social media platforms when they were closed or set to private. This draws suspicion as to why or how the accounts were closed and adds even more mystery around Claudia Ochoa Felix and her death.
6. She allegedly has three surviving children
Through her marriage to Sinola cartel drug trafficker El Chavo Felix, she allegedly has three kids. Before her death, she was romantically linked to drug trafficker Jose Rodrigo Arechiga AKA 'El Chino Antrax' (i.e. 'The Chinese Anthrax').
7. A drug overdose is suspected as her cause of death
“Alcohol and other substances were found in Ochoa Felix’s body and she died of suffocation, according to prosecutor Juan Jose Rios Estavillo — but her official cause of death has not been released pending autopsy results”, according to the New York Post.
Elizabeth Ward is a writing student finishing her bachelor’s at the University of Louisville. She covers topics in news, entertainment, relationships and everything in between.