Arrest of Mexican drugs boss could herald end for Zetas cartel

Detention of Miguel Treviño Morales means future of one of world's most brutal criminal gangs is in doubt
Miguel Angel Trevino Morales
Zetas drug cartel leader Miguel Treviño Morales after his arrest in Mexico. Photograph: AP

The arrest of the leader of the Zetas drug cartel is a major success for Mexico's new government and could herald the disintegration of one of the world's most brutal criminal groups, though not necessarily a drop-off in the killing.

Miguel Treviño Morales was detained by Mexican marines just outside the border city of Nuevo Laredo before dawn on Monday after a low-flying navy helicopter forced his vehicle to stop.

The kingpin, nicknamed "Z-40", was accompanied by two other men, and the vehicle contained eight assault rifles, large amounts of ammunition and $2m.

"This is very important," said Alejandro Hope, a former member of the Mexican intelligence service. "It does not liquidate them, but it strikes at the Zetas' ability to act as a cohesive organisation."

The arrest of "Z-40" is the first high-profile narco takedown since president Enrique Peña Nieto took office in December promising to slash the death toll associated with the complex tapestry of brutal cartel turf wars partially sparked by a military-led crackdown on organised crime launched in 2006 by his predecessor, Felipe Calderón.

The violence is estimated to have killed more than 80,000 people since then, with government statistics showing only a slight downturn in the killing after the new administration took over.

The operational strategy on the ground has not changed, beyond increased co-ordination within the law enforcement apparatus and an effort to emphasise the language of peace over Calderón's bellicose rhetoric.

The Zetas have played a central role in the violence from the start, maintaining an intense rivalry with the Sinaloa cartel, headed by Mexico's most famous trafficker, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

Originally formed in the late 1990s as a kind of special forces unit within the Gulf cartel from a core group of military deserters, the Zetas are credited with injecting a new professionalism and savagery into turf wars that has since been copied by other cartels.

The group that split from the Gulf cartel in 2010 also pioneered the diversification of crimes under cartel control, including mass extortion and kidnapping networks.

Treviño, 40, developed a bloodthirsty reputation. "He was probably the most brutal and vile capo that Mexico has taken down yet," said Jamie Haase, a former special agent within the US immigration and customs enforcement agency, who in 2009 was working in the region of Nuevo Laredo, Treviño's birthplace.

"He was a multimillionaire and the head of the organisation, and yet he chose to still be actively involved in the beheadings."

Treviño took over total control of the Zetas last year, after his long-time collaborator Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano was killed in a shootout.

The most hopeful scenario envisages the organisation being absorbed by other cartels leading to a drop-off in the carnage.

Even if this happens, neither former Mexican intelligence official Hope nor former US agent Haase expect the quantity of drugs reaching the US market to fall.

"Taking down a capo has no impact on the flow of drugs," said Haase, who now belongs to a group of former law enforcement agents in favour of legalisation.

"Others take their place. It is the law of supply and demand."

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