Police in Mexico have captured one of the West’s most wanted drug barons.
Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, alias Z40, is thought to be the ruthless head of the notorious Zetas drug cartel in Mexico, which is allegedly responsible for large quantities of drugs and weapons that make their way into the US. The US State Department had been offering $5 million for information leading to his capture,
“He had a reputation of leading the most vicious group in Mexico,” one law enforcement official told the Dallas Morning News. “This is a huge symbolic way to end his career.”
Trevino Morales’ capture is a big victory for Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto and his fight against organized crime. His capture may also strengthen the power of another powerful Mexican drug capo, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Guzman’s Sinaloa cartel is a competitor to the Zetas and may now see an opening to push into the border city of Nuevo Laredo, a lucrative drug smuggling point, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Trevino Morales, 40, was captured by Mexican Marines who intercepted a pickup truck with $2 million in cash on a dirt road in the countryside outside Nuevo Laredo, which has long served as the Zetas’ base of operations. The truck was halted by a Marine helicopter and Trevino Morales was taken into custody along with a bodyguard, an accountant and eight guns, government spokesman Eduardo Sanchez told reporters.
