The Death of Zetas Leader "El Lazca"

On October 7, 2012, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano, aka "El Lazca/Z-3", the overall leader of Los Zetas was killed. He died after being shot six or seven times during confrontations that he and bodyguards had with members of the Mexican Marines which started in Progreso and ended near the town of Sabinas, State of Coahuila, Mexico. An official report states that a Zeta convoy of vehicles began launching grenades at the patrol of Marines at approximately 1:30 p.m. Three separate gun battles erupted during the day that ultimately led to the death of El Lazca. Mexican officials state that Miguel Treviño-Morales, aka “El Z-40”, stole the body of El Lazca from the Garcia Funeral Home in Sabinas. During a press conference, Coahuila State Prosecutor Homero Ramos-Garcia confirmed that a group of armed men stole the body of El Lazca and his bodyguard from the morgue and took them away in a stolen Hearse. Some people say this was a Zeta military code of “leave no man behind”. The Mexican government states it did not know initially who it had killed.

Others, including many in the U.S. government, highly doubt it?

Many people believe it was Z-40 himself who gave El Lazca up to authorities and which led to his untimely death. Z-40's detractors also accuse him of giving up info on rival drug cartel members, as well as fellow Zetas including Ivan Velazquez-Caballero, aka “Z-50/El Taliban”. He was captured in September, 2012, and was third in command of the Zetas. El Taliban and Z-40 had been trading death threats and accusations of being Zeta traitors (and far worse names) back and forth. This earned Treviño-Morales another moniker by his enemies as being “El Judas”.  

Los Zetas were renegades of the Mexican Army and originally hired as an armed wing of the Gulf Cartel, but they broke away in 2010. The “Z” organization has a vast network of drug suppliers from Central America to the northeastern Mexican border. Los Zetas not only traffic in drugs, but control kidnapping gangs, extortionists of businesses and undocumented migrants. They are also involved in the pirate merchandise such as music CDs, DVDs, and clothing. Most of the original Zetas have been killed or are in custody, but they train younger Zetitas who compose hundreds of cells, known as stakes, with 20 gunmen each. Each group has a local chief and in turn it receives orders from a regional manager who reports to Z-40. Zetas have been known to recruit teens and gang members to work for them. For instance, Omar Martín Estrada Luna, known as "El Kilo", grew up in the Yakima, WA, area and was a Norteño. Gangs like Mara Salvatrucha, 18th Street, Florencia 13, and West Side Pomona 13 may also have ties to cartels:  http://www.laopinion.com/Crecen_lazos_de_carteles_en_LA Zetas control most of the drug smuggling corridors east of the Big Bend, TX, area. The Sinaloans control most of the area west of it, including taking over much of the Juarez Cartel's area as well as Sonora and Baja borders.   

Under outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon's six-year offensive an impressive number of Cartel leaders have been caught or killed including: Sinaloa Cartel’s Ignacio “El Nacho” Coronel (dead), and captured Sinaloa Cartel Vicente “Vicentillo” Zambada, Jesus “El Rey” Zambada, several members of the Arellano-Felix Organization (Tijuana Cartel), many members of the Juarez Cartel, as well as many members of the Beltran-Leyva Organization who broke off from the Sinaloans. The Gulf Cartel has also been greatly diminished by arrests, deaths, and by Zeta defections.

Unfortunately, the busts that have weakened some cartels have also emboldened new ones like the Knights Templar who are an offshoot of La Familia Michoacana. The Cartel de Jalisco New Generation also emerged in 2007 after the death of Sinaloa Cartel leader Ignacio Coronel. If there are further arrests of Zetas and Sinaloa Cartel members violence could spread even more?  

The death of “El Lazca” now leaves Los Zetas firmly in the control of Miguel Treviño-Morales (Z-40) and his brother Alejandro Treviño-Morales (L-42/Omar). As stated on this Blog last May, http://gangsters-cops-politicians.blogspot.com/2012/05/drug-cartel-bloodbath-as-mexican.html , Zetas and their rivals of the Pacific/Sinaloa Cartel are now the two biggest cartels in the country. The Sinaloa Cartel of “Chapo” Guzman has also been accused of giving up info to the government to take out the competition. Some believe that Z-40 and Chapo might also engage in one final battle for control of all of Mexico.

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) which ruled Mexico for almost three quarters of a century took power back with the 2012 Mexican Presidential Election of Enrique Peña-Nieto. It remains to be seen how Peña-Nieto’s government will handle corruption that prior PRI officials were so notorious for and better solve the drug cartel violence that has left more than 55,000 dead in the last six years.