An indictment was unsealed in the District of Columbia charging leaders of the violent drug trafficking organisation known as Los Zetas and its successor organisation, Cartel del Noreste (CDN), with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking conspiracy; firearms offences; and international money laundering conspiracy.
According to the indictment, Miguel Trevino Morales, 51, also known as Z-40, and his brother, Omar Trevino Morales, 48, also known as Z-42, allegedly assumed control of Los Zetas after more than a decade as members of the violent drug trafficking organisation.
Los Zetas previously served as an armed militaristic wing for the Gulf Cartel to maintain control of drug trafficking routes throughout Mexico.
Since becoming leaders of Los Zetas in 2012, which they later renamed the Cartel del Noreste, the defendants have allegedly continued their history and pattern of using extreme violence to control large swaths of Northern Mexico, including along the U.S. border.
Based on allegations in the indictment, Miguel and Omar Trevino Morales were incarcerated in Mexico in 2013 and 2015, respectively, but continued to control the CDN through various means, including by installing various family members to run operations at their behest.
Miguel and Omar Trevino Morales are alleged to be personally responsible for committing dozens of murders and for directing assassinations, kidnappings, and acts of torture by Los Zetas and CDN members to promote and protect the Cartel’s drug trafficking activities and enrich its members.
“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants ran a transnational drug trafficking organization that was responsible for committing extreme violence and trafficking massive quantities of narcotics into the United States,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Justice Department is committed to holding cartel leaders like the defendants accountable for poisoning American communities and fueling violence here and abroad. We are also committed to working with our domestic and international colleagues in this effort, and we are grateful to our Mexican law enforcement partners for their ongoing collaboration in this case.”
“This superseding indictment underscores the Justice Department’s commitment to pursuing the leaders of the world’s most dangerous drug cartels, no matter how long it takes,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “The defendants’ prolific crimes and extreme acts of violence have wreaked havoc in the Eastern District of New York and across the country, and we look forward to holding the defendants accountable in a U.S. court of law.”
“For decades, these individuals have controlled one of the most violent drug organizations in Mexico, committing and directing the commission of horrible atrocities against our neighbors, the people of Mexico, and also in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas.
“For decades, Los Zetas operated as one of the most violent drug trafficking organizations in the United States and Mexico under the direction of brothers Miguel (Zeta 40) and Omar Trevino Morales (Zeta 42),” said Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Field Division.
“The DEA has never wavered from the global fight against this vicious, ruthless cartel, which thrived on the devastation they imparted on American communities. Through countless investigations, DEA brought high-ranking members of this destructive organisation to justice,” added Comeaux. “These latest indictments will continue to cripple this violent organization and force them to release the stranglehold they have exerted along the southwest border of the United States.”
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
