In what will undoubtedly become source material for a Netflix series three to five years from now, a woman dubbed “The Doll” has been arrested in Colombia, accused of multiple targeted killings.
The 23-year-old – real name, Karen Julieth Ojeda Rodriguez – was called a “dangerous hitwoman” by police, who allege she carried out the murders for a gang known as Los de la M.
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Spanish language publication LibertadDigital reported this week that one of the murders Rodriguez is accused of is that of her ex-boyfriend, who was reportedly lured to a location to settle a financial dispute, before being gunned down by two men on a motorcycle.
According to Spanish language outlet Infobae, Rodriguez is accused of building a small network of hitmen in Barrancabermeja, a city in the Santander region east of Medellín. Arrested alongside “The Doll” were 24-year-old Paula Valentina Joya Rueda – who reportedly goes by the alias Gorda Sicaria, or “Fat Hitwoman” – and a second associate known as “Leopoldo”.
Authorities reportedly seized a revolver and a 9mm pistol during the arrests. The weapons are being analysed to determine whether they were used in the recent murders.
As VICE reported last year, more and more women are joining cartels in Mexico. Other reports indicate that this trend is growing throughout Central and South America, with the LA Times reporting that hitwomen are becoming increasingly common in Latin American gangs.
According to a recent study by the International Crisis Group – a think-tank that researches and analyses global crises – the number of women charged with an offense related to organized crime grew from 5.4% in 2017 to 7.5% in 2021.
“Sometimes, criminal organizations offer some women the opportunity to develop a leadership scheme,” Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, an academic and criminal organization specialist, told NBC News. “And since prejudice and machismo make them invisible in some way — they can advance in those activities without being seen. And that is one thing that we have to increasingly understand.”
Authorities are yet to announce the charges Rodriquez and her alleged accomplices are set to face.