An Indiana beauty queen, Glenis Zapata, was involved in a drug bust with ties to a Mexican cartel. She allegedly used her job as a flight attendant to move drug money from Chicago to the southern states and into Mexico. Zapata was charged with two counts of money laundering related to transporting large amounts of cash in August and September 2019, and was arrested along with 17 other suspects in a federal operation targeting Oswaldo Espinosa, who was one of the DEA’s most wanted fugitives.
Espinosa, the alleged ringleader of a Mexico-based drug trafficking ring, recruited individuals like Zapata to participate in his criminal enterprise from 2018 to 2023. The operation involved the transportation of cash and cocaine hidden in warehouses and garages from the Midwest to the southern US and Mexico, with the assistance of Zapata and others. The investigation led by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces revealed multiple drug trafficking operations and cash transports connected to Espinosa’s DTO.
The ESPINOSA DTO, run by Espinosa, was responsible for numerous drug trafficking operations and cash transports over the span of several years. While this cartel is smaller in comparison to larger cartels like CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel, its operations still had a significant impact on drug trafficking in the US. Many Mexican cartels operate within the US, smuggling drugs and money across the border, contributing to the ongoing drug crisis in the country.
Reports from the DEA have highlighted the presence of powerful and dangerous cartels like CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel operating in all 50 states in the US. These cartels primarily deal in meth and fentanyl, which have caused a significant drug crisis in the country. Law enforcement agencies prioritize dismantling major drug operations like these to combat the drug crisis and prevent further harm caused by illegal drug trafficking.
Law enforcement agencies near the border conducted numerous bulk cash seizures in 2023, totaling millions of dollars. The DEA’s top operational priority is to target and defeat Mexican drug cartels responsible for the fentanyl poisoning epidemic in the US. The operation aims to allocate resources to cities heavily affected by violence and overdose, targeting violent dealers and reducing the harm caused by drug trafficking and the distribution of dangerous substances like fentanyl.
