Former beauty queen working as flight attendant accused of smuggling drug proceeds for Mexican cartel

CHICAGO – A former beauty queen in Indiana is accused of using her employment as a flight attendant to smuggle proceeds for a Mexican drug trafficking organization. The narcotic traffickers are believed to be responsible for laundering tens of millions of dollars and smuggling thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States, according to federal prosecutors.

Glenis Zapata, 34, was crowned Miss Indiana Latina in 2011. Now, she is accused of transporting cash drug proceeds for “the Espinosa DTO” on commercial flights as a flight attendant with a “Known Crew Member” (KCM) badge and authority, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced as the indictment was unsealed last week.

The indictment also names 17 other co-conspirators, including the 41-year-old leader, its primary manager, both from Mexico, and the head of the Chicago operations, Law&Crime reported.

The organization operated from 2018 to 2023, according to federal authorities. Traffickers smuggled a large volume of narcotics using semitrailer trucks and a private charter plane that had flown from Toluca, Mexico, via Houston to the Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Indiana, where it was seized in 2021.

The illegal operation was first uncovered when agents stopped a Toyota Highlander a few blocks away from a Chicago hotel. During the detention, law enforcement officers seized 80 kilos of cocaine in suitcases, and took the driver into custody. Another 20 kilos of cocaine were discovered in a hotel room and a second man was arrested.

During the ongoing investigation, large volumes of cocaine have been seized by agents in Chicago, Indiana, Florida, Texas, and Michigan.

Furthermore, law enforcement officials have seized hundreds of thousands of dollars tied to the ring in Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Tennessee, and Florida.

Two bank employees in Indiana — one of whom WLS reported as Zapata’s sister — are accused of helping launder the drug proceeds.

Source: www.lawofficer.com