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Jose Sanchez Villalobos, one of the Sinaloa cartel’s high-level managers, has already served all but a few months of his sentence.

The leader of the Sinaloa cartel was found guilty of drug trafficking in 2019 and is serving a life sentence in a supermax prison in Colorado.

“A lot of people say we can’t do anything because of threats from organized crime, or we don’t have qualified people,” said Quiroa, who is running in northwest Sinaloa state, an epicenter of cartel violence.

Her critics say her past defending the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel should disqualify her from standing as a judge.

"The Sinaloa Cartel is not only 'El Chapo' Guzman. It is a company that has criminal and economic interests which are being resolved in the justice system. The cartel could pressure her to show loyalty because she has already been their employee."