Trevino Morales, Zetas Cartel Leader, Captured

Trevino Morales, Zetas Cartel Leader, Captured

The Mexican government confirmed recently that Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, the leader of the Zetas drug cartel, was arrested near its border with the United States.

Trevino Morales, also known as “Zeta-40,” became the leader of the group after the founder, Heriberto Lazcano, died in October 2012.

The group was established by renegade members of an elite police unit of Mexico. The group is notorious for their brutality although turf wars in 2010 caused the group to split. The capture of Zeta-40 is considered a victory for Mexican authorities in their fight against drug cartels in the country.

Eduardo Sanchez, a spokesman for the government, indicated that the leader of Zetas drug cartel was detained near Nuevo Laredo. Trevino Morales was in board a pick-up truck carrying $2 million when he was taken into custody together with an accountant and his bodyguard. Sanchez added that the area is under surveillance by marines.

“Z-40” had worked his way to the top of the organization after it split from the Gulf Cartel and started to run drug operations themselves. The leader of the group is believed to be behind a number of violent attacks that resulted to the death of 72 immigrants in San Fernando. He was also considered responsible for the death of another group of immigrants a year later.

He reportedly coordinated the Nuevo Laredo drug corridor before he became the overall leader of the group. This was also the area where he was captured by Mexican authorities.

The capture of the leader of the Zetas drug cartel is the most successful and highest profile capture under the administration President Enrique Pena Nieto.

However, it is expected for a new leader to replace the captured head of the group, which normally happens after drug lords are arrested. There are concerns that violent in-fighting among the different factions within the group may occur following the arrest of Trevino Morales.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday July 17 2013, 2:55 AM EST. Ref: BBC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0