A top faction leader of Los Zetas faces murder charges following her arrest earlier this month. She stands accused of killing a Nuevo Laredo area prosecutor and several aides.

This week, a state judge in Tamaulipas formally charged Guadalupe “La Teniente” Gomez Villarreal with one count of murder and ordered that she be held without bond. Gomez Villarreal, a former Tamaulipas police officer, is one of the top leaders within the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas. The charges are tied to the January 2017 ambush murder of Ricardo Martinez Chavez, the regional head for the Tamaulipas Attorney General’s Office. Martinez Chavez and four of his assistants died. Authorities found a stack of cash next to the body, suggesting a bribe or statement made by the cartel.

Gomez Villarreal’s involvement is also suspected with a car crash that killed the head of Federal Police in Tamaulipas along with five top officials traveling in an armored SUV. That crash took place one day after the ambush attack. Breitbart Texas consulted with federal law enforcement sources who revealed that at the time of the crash, authorities found road spikes.

The Mexican federal law enforcement source revealed that months prior to her arrest, La Teniente began to lose power and influence within the CDN as evidenced by her cartel’s lacking response to her capture. In previous arrest operations targeting the CDN, armored cartel convoys clashed with authorities as a matter of retaliation. La Teniente saw no such reaction.

The Mexican federal law enforcement sources also theorize that someone within the CDN tipped law enforcement to La Teniente’s location.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.     

Tony Aranda from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report