Mexican authorities arrested a top cartel figure outed by Breitbart Texas for leading strike teams and terrorizing border regions. He is linked to murders, forced disappearances, and attacks on law enforcement in the border states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas.
On Thursday, detectives from the Nuevo Leon State Investigations Agency raided a property in Agualeguas, Nuevo Leon. They arrested 44-year-old Ricardo “Ricky” Chapa Maldonado, a long-time lieutenant in the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas.
Breitbart Texas first exposed Chapa in November 2020, publishing a photograph of him and identifying him as the leader of CDN-Los Zetas shock troops. The group performed attacks against police and pushed into Gulf Cartel turf. Chapa’s reign included ambushes on authorities with armored vehicles when not kidnapping innocent motorists.
At the time of his arrest, Chapa was hiding in his house with weapons, ammunition, road spikes, and tactical gear bearing CDN-Los Zetas logos.
Law enforcement sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that Chapa is currently facing charges for the attacks directed at law enforcement and forced disappearances. In Mexico, the term “forced disappearance” refers to crimes where cartel members dispose of victims to the point that there is no longer enough evidence to satisfy a murder charge.
Authorities are still working to document additional charges such as the murder of a state police officer and the kidnapping and disappearance of several innocent individuals. During the raid, authorities found evidence tying Chapa to one of those forced disappearances.
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.