The judge, Luis Rodriguez, of the Criminal Court of that region, based his decision on the fact that both individuals, Ivania Cabezas Vargas (alias La Patrona) and her partner, Jonathan Perez Mendez (alias Tan), presented purported job offers and a fixed address, the online newspaper CRHoy.com added.

Perez Mendez is also an associate of the wanted criminal Alejandro Arias (alias Diablo), now a fugitive from justice, while Cabezas Vargas operated as his right-hand woman, handling the logistics of laundering drug money and issuing orders in her partner’s absence.

According to the judge’s rulings and a report from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Ivania Cabezas’ role within the criminal organization was of paramount importance, given the large sums of cash obtained from the sale of illicit substances.

The criminal known as La Patrona was held in pretrial detention from August 27, 2024, a measure that was extended on the same day in 2025. However, due to the increased time she had spent in prison, her defense filed an appeal that resulted in her release with different precautionary measures.

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