Shivangi Sinha
Apple TV+’s ‘Cowboy Cartel’ explores the leadership and dedication of Scott Lawson, an FBU recruit based in Laredo, Texas, as he works to dismantle the Los Zetas money laundering operation tied to quarter horse racing. Lawson and his team captured José Treviño, a key player in the illegal scheme. However, the investigation revealed connections to higher-ups, including José’s brother Miguel Treviño Morales, the leader of Los Zetas, and Omar Treviño Morales, another significant cartel member. The series also delves into their lives and the quest for justice against them.
Miguel and Omar Trevino Came From a Humble Background
Miguel Treviño Morales was born on November 18, 1970, and Omar Treviño Morales on January 26, 1974. Their parents, Rodolfo Treviño and María Arcelia Morales, were working-class individuals from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, with a large family of 13 children. Due to limited resources, they often traveled between Dallas, Texas, and Mexico, seeking odd jobs, purchasing land, and starting small businesses. It is reported that Rodolfo left the family when the children were young, forcing them to take on various jobs to support themselves.
As a teenager living in Nuevo Laredo, Miguel began washing cars for the local drug lord Héctor Manuel Sauceda Gamboa, who later became his mentor. He soon started working as a small-scale drug trader for the Los Tejas gang. Recognizing his experience moving illicit goods and drugs across the border and his proficiency in English, Los Zetas hired him in the late 1990s. Even though he did not have a military background like others in the group, he quickly ascended the group hierarchies. For Omar, seeing his elder brother find a place within a powerful gang like Los Zetas also paved the way for him.
Miguel and Omar Quickly Rose Ranks Within Los Zetas
As Los Zetas expanded its operations, Miguel’s role grew increasingly significant. He was instrumental in the gang’s diversification into other criminal activities, such as kidnapping, extortion, and human trafficking. His violent methods and willingness to eliminate any threats or rivals bolstered his standing within the cartel. By the late 2000s, a power struggle emerged between Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, leading to a violent split. Miguel played a crucial role in leading Los Zetas during this period, demonstrating his leadership and strategic capabilities. When the group’s top leader, Heriberto Lazcano, was killed by Mexican authorities in 2012, Miguel seized the opportunity to consolidate his power and assumed leadership of Los Zetas.
As the leader of Los Zetas, Miguel, who also began to be called z-40, was responsible for numerous heinous crimes, making the cartel notorious for its extreme violence and brutal tactics. Under his command, Los Zetas conducted massacres, including the San Fernando massacres in 2010 and 2011, killing hundreds of migrants to instill fear and control territories. They engaged in widespread kidnappings for ransom, often torturing and killing victims who couldn’t pay, and extorted businesses across Mexico. Miguel expanded their drug trafficking operations, establishing control over crucial smuggling routes and violently clashing with rival cartels.
Omar, also known as Z-42, followed in his brother’s footsteps. Witnessing Miguel’s rise within Los Zetas, Omar also found a place within the organization. He gradually climbed the ranks, proving himself through similar ruthless tactics and loyalty to his brother. By 2008, Omar and Miguel were playing an active role in the horse race money laundering their brother, Jose Trevino, was doing for them in Texas. Little did they know that it would be the beginning of their end.
Authorities Had Their Eyes on Omar and Miguel
After the US authorities captured Jose Trevino on June 12, 2012, the eyes turned towards Miguel as well. In 2009, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Miguel Treviño Morales under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, prohibiting him from conducting business in the US. In 2010, the Department of Justice issued an indictment against Miguel for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine into the US. Bounties were set at $2.3 million in Mexico and $5 million in the US for his capture. On July 15, 2013, Miguel was arrested by the Mexican Marines in Anáhuac, Nuevo León. His truck was intercepted by a helicopter, and after a brief chase, he was captured.
When Mexican authorities captured Miguel in July 2013, Omar assumed leadership of Los Zetas. Under his command, the cartel continued its criminal activities, although it faced increasing pressure from law enforcement and rival organizations. Omar’s tenure as leader was marked by continued violence and attempts to maintain the cartel’s influence. Even he was eventually captured inside a house in Fuentes del Valle on March 4, 2015.
Miguel and Omar are Incarcerated Today
Miguel has been charged with involvement in organized crime, drug trafficking, torture, money laundering, and the illegal use of firearms under Mexican law, along with various other criminal charges. In January 2014, a New York District Court also issued charges against him and sought his extradition. He has been moved and relocated multiple times while incarcerated in Mexico. As of the latest reports, he is being held at the Federal Center for Social Readaptation (Cefereso) 17 in Tierra Caliente, Michoacán.
Omar has been housed in a maximum-security prison in Almoloya de Juárez, Mexico, since March 2015, facing charges of money laundering and violating Mexico’s Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives. With the arrest of other family members and potential successors, Los Zetas appears to have lost the cohesion it once had. The two brothers are likely to spend the rest of their lives in prison.
Read More: José Treviño: Where is Miguel Treviño’s Brother Now?
