Two hitmen from Los Zetas Cartel in Mexico crossed into Texas to carry out a home invasion turned execution, authorities revealed. Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying the gunmen on the run.
The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office recently issued a news release asking for the public’s help in identifying two gunmen who they describe as “sicarios” from the Tropa Del Infierno (Hell’s Troop) squad of the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas.
According to the sheriff’s office, the case began on July 23, when authorities responded to a house in Zapata County where a man in his 20s had been shot to death. As part of the investigation, authorities were able to arrest two men and seized several weapons. David Mendez, Jr. and Billardo Alaniz from Zapata, Texas, currently face murder charges for their alleged involvement in providing logistics for the hitmen.
Sheriff’s investigators claim the two men picked up two unidentified sicarios after they crossed into Texas through Falcon Lake and drove them to the victim’s residence. After the murder, Mendez and Alaniz picked up the gunmen and drove them to a stash house. It remains unclear if the gunmen returned to Mexico or are still in the U.S. The sheriff’s office did not publicly identify the murder victim or leads on a motive.
The Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas is based out of Nuevo Laredo, west Falcon Lake. The body of water is routinely used by the criminal organization to move drugs and migrants.
In 2016, a group of Los Zetas gunmen in a boat attacked two fishermen, killing one and injuring the other. After the shooting, the gunmen fled to Mexico.
In 2015, Texas State Troopers captured a top Los Zetas commander trying to sneak into the U.S. on a boat. Authorities arrested Jose Manuel “Z-31 or El Borrado” Saldivar Farias, a regional commander for Los Zetas.
Falcon Lake made national headlines in 2010 when Los Zetas cartel gunmen murdered David Hartley while he and his wife were jet-skiing. The Colorado couple were enjoying the lake until cartel gunmen tried to kidnap them. David was struck by the gunfire while Tiffany managed to escape.