Former beauty queen charged in federal indictment connected to Mexico-based drug cartel

CHICAGO, Ill. (WPTA/Gray News) - A former beauty queen has been indicted on federal drug trafficking charges believed to be tied to a Mexican drug cartel, officials say.

Glenis Zapata, 34, of Lafayette, is accused of assisting traffickers in moving drug money from the Midwest to the southern part of the United States and into Mexico.

According to the indictment, Zapata, who worked as a flight attendant at the time of her arrest, allegedly used her employment to help the traffickers.

The cartel named in the case is believed to have moved thousands of pounds of cocaine and laundered tens of millions of dollars in profits.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois says other means were used to transport the money including semi-trucks and a private charter airplane.

Glenis Zapata was crowned Miss Indiana Latina in 2011. The pageant’s organization released a statement on social media following her arrest, saying “The situation involving one former queen is an isolated case and does not represent our organization or the Latino community. She completed her reign 13 years ago and has had no affiliation with us since.”

Two bank employees were also named in the indictment, 33-year-old Ilenis Zapata and 39-year-old Georgina Banuelos, both of Lafayette, who were accused of exchanging lower denomination bills for high denomination bills.

The indictment also identified the alleged leaders of the drug trafficking organization, including organization head 41-year-old Oswaldo Espinosa, primary manager 46-year-old Jorge Borbon-Ochoa and head of Chicago operations 37-year-old Ricardo Tello.

Federal prosecutors say Espinosa’s organization moved cocaine in “wholesale quantities” from Mexico into various U.S. cities from 2018 to 2023 and used warehouses, garages, and stash houses in Chicago to store the drugs and cash.

The case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation.

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