Teresa Mendoza(V)

Also known as The Queen of The South, Teresa Mendoza. Teresa fled Mexico after the murder of her boyfriend El Guero. El Guero trafficked drugs for a local cartel. After his death Teresa fled to where she began working. Teresa is referred to work for Driss Larby, a businessman and low-level underworld operator in the Spanish enclave of Melilla on the North African coast. On the ferry, she meets Fátima Mansur, a prostitute who works at Driss' bar "El Yamilla." Teresa proves herself to be an invaluable asset by balancing Driss' books every night. Teresa meets Santiago Fisterra, a Galician ("El Gallego") who works smuggling black market goods such as cigarettes across the strait of Gibraltar into Spain, and his friend Lalo. Teresa and Santiago begin dating. Knowing that Santiago is unhappy working the small time, Teresa arranges with Colonel Abdelkader Chaïb to get Santiago into the hashish trade. The trade provides huge profits, and Teresa and Santiago move to Málaga. A year later, Driss Larby is still furious from Teresa's abandonment, and conspires with a Spanish Naval Officer, to have Santiago busted during a major drug run. Instead, Santiago crashes his boat into rocks at high speed and is killed, while Teresa is thrown free, arrested, and sent to jail. In prison, Teresa meets Patricia O'Farrell, the wild child in a wealthy family & a local celebrity. The two become fast friends-although the bisexual Patricia clearly wants more. Upon release, Patty reveals to Teresa that she knows where a half ton of cocaine was hidden by her late boyfriend, and plans to sell it back to the Russian mob. During the negotiation, it becomes clear to the Russian mob boss, Oleg Yasilkov that Teresa's business smarts would be a valuable asset to him. Teresa negotiates the retrieval of the cocaine from its hiding place, under the nose of the confounded Spanish police, the first of many successes in her new career as a rising drug lord. As Teresa quickly rises in the drug world a familiar DEA agent, Willy Rangel arrives in Spain. Teresa continued to smuggled tons of drugs including hashish & cocaine. After her partner Patty O'Farrel meets a girl & begins spiraling out of control the organization quickly deteriorates. Patty's girlfriend, Lupe is actually DEA agent, Veronica Cortes. Cortes infiltrates Teresa's company Transer Naga a shell company used to disguise Teresa's real business. Soon after Veronica Cortes (Lupe) begins compiling evidence against Teresa. Soon after the DEA & Willy Rangel also turn Teo Aljarafe into an informant. Aljarafe is Teresa's lover as well as her company's attorney who has been stealing money from Teresa. Teo & Veronica compile enough evidence to have Teresa arrested. Before the arrest can happen, Willy Rangel of the DEA sneaks Teresa out of Spain in order to testify against Epifanio Vargas leader of the Juarez Cartel. In Mexico. Vargas was the godfather to the late El Guero and the man who ordered Teresa and El Guero's death. Teresa returns to Mexico to testify in order to stop Vargas from becoming the next president of The Republic of Mexico & in return she will receive immunity from prosecution. Vargas is finally arrested and Teresa was free of prosecution. She found a home and gave birth to her first child.