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Thanks to the likes of Narcos and Scarface, among others, and the recent high-profile arrest and prosecution of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, we tend to think of drug lords as men.

That’s usually on the money, but Simone Jasmin, who was gunned down last week in the south Durban suburb of Bluff, certainly broke the mould.

An intense drug war, which is believed to have claimed several lives already, added another when Jasmin was shot by multiple gunmen after hopping in an Uber on the corner of Marine Drive and Blackpool Road.

She was out on bail on charges of murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder, and is believed to have run one of the most ruthless gangs in the city.

According to sources, she grew to become a wholesale drug supplier via a number of distribution channels, and one police source estimates that the gang she led made around R200 000 a day in profits.

Some of that money was then invested in property, and a fleet of Uber vehicles, among other operations.

IOL covered the rise and rise of Durban’s drugs gangs ‘godmother’:

Jasmin [below], known as Moni on the streets of Wentworth, was introduced to the gang life by a boyfriend, police and community sources who spoke to IOL on condition of anonymity said.

One of her nicknames was Queen of the South, a popular Mexican telenovela which many observers said mimicked the 35-year-old’s life.

Jasmin’s life bears striking similarities to the main character in Queen of the South, Teresa Mendoza, who comes from a poor background and falls in love with a member of a drug cartel.

After falling in love with a drug dealer from a Wentworth gang who was later murdered, Jasmin began dealing in drugs, just like Mendoza.

She subsequently dated three more gangsters, amassing power as she went, although all three were killed in drug wars linked to disputes between gangs.

This led to some calling her ‘Black Widow’ – a nod to Griselda Blanco, or the Godmother of Cocaine – although she was said to be less fond of that moniker.

In a complex on Lansdowne Road, her drug gang, known as ‘the Cartel’, grew in power and stature:

To those who lived away from her territory or “gulley” she was the feared “Black Widow” – the one behind all the shootings and drugs ravaging Wentworth.

To the people of the barracks and surrounding homes where poverty and rampant unemployment live cheek to jowl, she was revered, respected and given hero status.

She was the one who would pay someone’s electricity bill if they got disconnected, she was the one who would come with food parcels to struggling families.

Jasmin would pay for birthday parties and other events, but this came at a price, as drive-by shootings were a common occurrence, and anybody who spoke out against her “would be taken out immediately”.

It’s believed that the alleged murder of an Umlazi gang member, who was linked to the taxi industry, may have led to her downfall.

As tensions between the two gangs turned into escalating violence and murder, she began to increase her security measures, but even that wasn’t enough.

Last Thursday, two assassins believed to have been staking out her house for days caught up with her as she hopped into an Uber. She was shot at least six times and died in the emergency room of a nearby hospital.

Some have also suggested that the hit may have come from within her own gang, with some members who were not granted bail “suspicious of why she was given bail and they were not”.

We may never know who was behind the killing, with a police officer saying that “there are too many people out there with a motive to kill her”.

Netflix, Showmax, DStv – does somebody want to buy up the rights to this one and turn it into a series?

Just having scratched the surface above, there is certainly more than enough drama and intrigue.

Read the full IOL report here.

[source:iol]