Óscar Omar Treviño Morales (born January 26, 1974) is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former leader of

Los Zetas Los Zetas (, Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, regarded as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels. They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscr ...

, a criminal organization. He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords. His brother is

Miguel Treviño Morales Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales (born 18 November 1970), commonly referred to by his alias ''Z-40'', is a Mexican former drug lord and leader of the criminal organization known as Los Zetas. Considered a violent, resentful and dangerous crimin ...

, a former leader of the group. The authorities believe he was the successor of his brother, who was arrested on July 15, 2013.

Criminal charges

Morales is allegedly responsible for several abductions and murders committed in

Nuevo Laredo Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, United States. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Lar ...

between 2005 and 2006 and the supply source for multi-kilogram loads of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

smuggled from Mexico to the United States. He was charged in a 2008 federal indictment in the U.S. District of Columbia, and the U.S. Department of State offered a reward of up to $5 million

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. On 24 March 2010, the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

sanctioned him under the

Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act The Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, better known as the Kingpin Act, is landmark federal legislation in the United States intended to address international narcotics trafficking by imposing United States sanctions on foreign persons ...

(sometimes referred to simply as the "Kingpin Act"), for his involvement in drug trafficking along with fifty-three other international criminals and ten foreign entities. The act prohibited U.S. citizens and companies from doing any kind of business activity with him, and virtually froze all his assets in the U.S.

Arrest

At around 4:00 a.m. on March 4, 2015, Treviño Morales was captured inside a residence in Fuentes del Valle, an upper-class neighborhood in San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, by the

Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

and the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...

. Not a single shot was fired in the operation. In a nearby neighborhood, authorities arrested his financial operator Carlos Arturo Jiménez Encinas, along with four other people. Four days later he was transferred to the Federal Social Readaptation Center No.1, a maximum-security prison in Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico. He was formally charged in a federal court in

Toluca, State of Mexico Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in Mexico. The city fo ...

on March 13 for money laundering and for violating Mexico's Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives.

Aftermath

On 23 March 2015, Ramiro Pérez Moreno (alias "El Rana" or "The Frog"), a potential successor of "Z-42", was captured along with 4 other men. He was arrested in possession of 6 kilos of cocaine and marijuana, rifles and one hand grenade.

References

Living people Fugitives wanted by the United States Fugitives wanted by Mexico Fugitives wanted on organised crime charges Los Zetas 1974 births People sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act People from Nuevo Laredo {{Mexico-bio-stub

Criminal charges

Arrest

Aftermath

See also

References