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"Mature Content Warning!" |
Lourdes Padilla is the overarching antagonist of the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Once Upon a Time in El Barrio". She is the head of a bogus modeling agency in Mexico which is a front for a sex trafficking ring which she operates with her brother Jorge Padilla.
She was portrayed by Gabriela Garcia.
Her Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Her Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- Lourdes Padilla runs a bogus modeling agency which acts as a front for a trafficking ring that she uses to lure in numerous girls aspiring to be models. She promises the girls career opportunities and has them trafficked to New York where she has her brother, Jorge Padilla, take their IDs and phones, before forcing them into prostitution.
- She lures in six teenage Mexican girls, offering them all career opportunities in America, these girls include Maribel, Sofia, and Valeria, who are known by a local priest Detective Velasco knows. She has them trafficked to America where Jorge takes their phones and IDS, burns Maribel to death when she tries to get away, and forces them into prostitution under Lourdes' orders.
- She has Luisa, who is only fifteen, pimped out to corrupt cop, Don Kubiak who is a member of the ring, resulting in Luisa being incredibly traumatized and afraid of men.
- When her brother learns of the police's investigation into the ring, she is indirectly responsible when he arranges the murder of Detective Rosanny Chavez, who works under Kubiak, by having her struck down by a car while she is in the street
- Even after her arrest, she still causes her brother to attempt to sell Valeria and later three other girls to an undercover police officer due to thinking he is a buyer.
- Despite her limited screen time, she is the one responsible for the events of the episode by masterminding the trafficking ring, luring the girls in through her bogus modeling agency, and enabling her brother's heinous crimes.
- She is able to pass the baseline with her horrible direct and indirect crimes, having less resources than traffickers like Ricky Yao.
What Prevents Her From Being Pure Evil?[]
- She suffers from some Fridge Horror due to it not being known the full amount of girls she has trafficked and forced into prostitution, with other traffickers having more confirmed victims.
- She possibly has a good relationship with her brother as he appears to genuinely care about her.
External Links[]
- Lourdes Padilla on the Villains Wiki
