A top government official in the Mexican border state of Coahuila is denying any connection between her and her husband and a recently arrested cartel-connected fuel smuggling suspect who is facing money laundering charges in Texas. When asked about her prior visa revocation, the politician stormed off and refused to answer any more questions.
The exchange took place on Wednesday afternoon in Coahuila, where Undersecretary of State Sonia Villarreal was attending a public event. During the event, a local journalist asked Villarreal about the recent report by Breitbart News Foundation that linked her husband Jorge Miguel “El Hummer” Barajas with the recently arrested Julio Gonzalez, who is facing money laundering charges in Texas.
The published video of the exchange captured a visibly upset Villarreal denying any connection to Gonzalez, claiming she never met him and asking for proof of any wrongdoing on her part. When asked about any connection between the alleged corruption and her visa revocation in 2025, Villarreal stormed off, refused to answer, and started speaking with other news outlets.
The response came hours after Breitbart News Foundation published details of the arrest of Julio Gonzalez by U.S. federal agents in Eagle Pass, Texas. Police moved him to Dallas, where he is wanted on federal money laundering charges. While court documents regarding the case are still sealed, Breitbart previously exposed Gonzalez as being the leader of a large-scale smuggling operation that would move fuel from Texas into Mexico with the protection of corrupt Mexican officials.
The report noted the close relationship between Gonzalez and Barajas, a top-level law enforcement official in Coahuila and one of the founding members of a police group called Los Gates. Barajas has been the topic of several stories published by Breitbart for human rights abuses, corruption, and cartel connections. Both Barajas and his wife Villarreal had their U.S. visas revoked in 2025 by the U.S. government, while U.S. law enforcement revealed to Breitbart News Foundation that the motive was the pair’s alleged ties to criminal activity; the two claimed that it was over birth tourism.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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