23-year-old drug queenpin who offered up victims’ hearts to Mexican death god gets half a century behind bars

A notorious 23-year-old Mexican gang leader known for her gruesome crimes has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for her brutal acts. Michelle Angelica Pineda, also known as “La Chely,” was convicted in the state of Chihuahua for her heinous crimes, which included carving out the hearts of her victims and offering them as sacrifices to a pagan god of death.

Pineda gained notoriety for her extreme brutality, which involved dismembering bodies, removing hearts, and placing them in front of altars and statues dedicated to Santa Muerte, a pagan deity representing death. She was only 22 years old when she was apprehended by the FBI and Customs and Border Protection at a motel in El Paso last year.

The young killer was operating a large drug network along the border for the Artistas Asesinos, or Doble A Cartel, which is known to traffic drugs and serve as an enforcement arm for the notorious Sinaloa Cartel. Upon her arrest, authorities discovered a cache of weapons, bladed weapons, and a variety of drugs in her possession, including fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and Xanax.

Pineda was wanted for five murders in Mexico, including a double homicide of a couple in 2023 and the murder of a man whose mutilated body was found in the streets of Juárez in 2024. Her involvement in the latter crime, along with four co-conspirators, led to the 50-year sentence she received.

Jarod Brown, the FBI El Paso special agent in charge, emphasized the importance of collaboration with law enforcement agencies to prevent individuals like Pineda from bringing violence and drugs into the United States and communities. The arrest and conviction of Pineda serve as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by criminal organizations and the necessity of coordinated efforts to combat them.