US authorities have accused the feared Treviño Morales brothers of continuing to control the remnants of Los Zetas despite a decade behind bars in Mexico, raising questions about why the infamous criminal leaders have not yet been extradited.

US federal prosecutors announced a superseding indictment against the former Zetas leaders Miguel Treviño Morales, alias “Z40“, and his brother Omar, alias “Z42” earlier this month. The two are accused of participating in a continuing criminal enterprise following their arrests. Prosecutors say they have installed family members to continue running the northeast cartel, the dominant splinter faction of Los Zetas, which traffics cocaine and marijuana and also launders money.

The brothers “led a transnational drug trafficking organization that was responsible for committing extreme violence and trafficking massive quantities of narcotics into the United States.” saying Deputy Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice.

The Treviño Morales brothers assumed control of the Zetas in the mid-2000s, after many years as the group’s trusted enforcers. The Zetas began as a paramilitary wing of the Gulf Cartel before breaking away and becoming arguably the most ruthless criminal organization Mexico has ever known. They were later charged in the District of Columbia in 2008 with drug trafficking and money laundering.

SEE ALSO:The Zetas of Mexico: from criminal power to fragmented remains

More than any other group, the Zetas became known for their shocking displays of violence. This included horrible acts such as the dumping of 49 headless bodies on a highway near the northern city of Monterrey, as well as the ruthless 2010 massacre of 72 migrants in San Fernando, which was followed by the massacre of another 193 people in the same city the following year.

After years of violent criminal activity to increase their control of Nuevo Laredo, one of the most important US-Mexico border crossings in the state of Tamaulipas, the Mexican Marines arrested miguel in July 2013. Two years later, his brother Omar was captured in the state of Nuevo León.

The power and strength of the Zetas declined rapidly after those arrests. With the rise of more formidable groups such as the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (Jalisco New Generation Cartel – CJNG), the group split into several rival factions such as the Northeast Cartel, the old-school Zetas, and the Taliban.

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Despite a U.S. extradition request dating back to 2011 and nearly a decade behind bars in Mexico, it is no surprise that the Treviño Morales family has continued to control the Northeast Cartel and use its influence in Mexico to avoid extradition. to the United States.

“Mexico’s prisons allow (the brothers) to continue giving orders, resolving disputes and approving murders. Their counteroffensive against extradition goes beyond a legal fight: they have also been campaigning in the media and casting doubt on the legitimacy of extradition,” said Alberto Islas, security analyst and founder of Global Leading Solutions, a consulting firm.

Lawyers for the brothers have criticized the Mexican government for not connecting them to the Zetas’ criminal activity. And in a recent letter to the newly installed president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, Miguel even stated that, in reality, he is not Z40 and that they are confusing him with someone else. Sending him to the United States would be “a historical mistake and a betrayal of sovereignty.” argued in the letter.

But U.S. prosecutors insist that after the deaths of Los Zetas’ founding members, the group largely became a hyperlocal family business controlled by the Treviño Morales brothers and their relatives. These family connections, coupled with deep-rooted corruption within the Mexican penal system, suggest that extradition to the United States may be the only way to finally cut off the brothers’ criminal power.

From the beginning, Miguel and Omar trusted their brother José in the United States to channel millions of dollars in drug money that was laundered by purchasing racehorses. José was eventually arrested in the United States, convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for leading what was then a large part of the Zetas’ money laundering structure.

Relatives of the Treviño Morales brothers continued to play important roles in the group even after it began to fracture following their arrests. Juan Francisco Treviño Chávez, alias “El Kiko,” and nephew of Omar and Miguel, initially assumed leadership of the Northeast Cartel, which emerged as the most prominent Zetas splinter faction.

SEE ALSO:The Northeast Cartel and criminal hegemony in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

After his arrest in 2016 and extradition to the United States, another relative, Juan Gerardo Treviño Chávez, alias “El Huevo,” took the reins of the group. He assumed the top leadership position and also founded a network of hitmen that became known as the “Hell Troop.”

The Mexican army captured the egg spectacularly in March 2022. The arrest started a shootout that lasted hours and left vehicles burned throughout Nuevo Laredo, paralyzing the city of about 400,000 people. He was extradited shortly after and will stand trial in the United States in November.

While the current leadership structure of the Northeast Cartel is unclear, the latest charges suggest that the Treviño Morales brothers will continue to influence the group while they remain in prison in Mexico. When InSight Crime visited Nuevo Laredo last year, there was graffiti referencing the Northeast Cartel all over the city, leaving no doubt about who was still in charge.

Cover image: Armored trucks painted with CDN in reference to the Northeast Cartel in a lot seized in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Credit: Parker Asmann