Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, better known under his alias “Z-40,” the leader of one of Mexico’s most violent criminal organizations, the Zetas, was captured near the Texas border on Monday, according to Mexico's Informador.
Morales was detained by Mexican marines. He was found with $2 million in cash and eight weapons. Two other men were also detained from the pickup truck they were traveling in near Nuevo Laredo, a town close to Laredo, Tex. No shots were fired.
The kingpin was wanted on both sides of the border. In Mexico he is wanted for murder, torture and organized crime; he is linked to the killing and disappearance of 265 migrants. The US, where he is wanted for drug trafficking, money laundering, and a double homicide, had posted a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
“History will show that Chapo Guzman [Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman, leader of the Sinaloa cartel] was the bigger narco, but ‘40’ was the villain, the enforcer and game changer, the one who changed the landscape for Mexico,” former FBI agent Arturo Fontes, who has been tracking Morales more than a decade, told the Dallas Morning News.
Morales was one of the first to join the Gulf Cartel’s military wing, the Zetas. The group is one of the most feared and violent gangs in Mexico and has started to expand into Guatemala.
InSight Crime reports that the capture of Morales may mean more violence in the immediate future as other members vie for his position and rival cartels take advantage of the opportunity to gain influence. Just last year, a Zetas splinter group called Los Legionarios emerged with the intention of waging war against Z-40 and his organization.
Morales’ younger brother, Omar, is likely to take over as leader of the Zetas.