Alejandro “Omar” Treviño Morales, alias “Z42,” was a member of criminal organization the Zetas and brother to former Zetas leader Miguel Treviño Morales, alias “Z40, ” who was captured in July 2013. Z42 was considered the natural successor to his brother before his own capture in March 2015 in Nuevo Leon. He operated in Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon.
History
Treviño was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, and became involved in car theft and extortion schemes alongside his brothers at an early age. Various Treviño siblings later joined a group of military-trained enforcers who worked for the Gulf Cartel, known as the Zetas. These mercenaries would later break away in 2010.
SEE ALSO: Zetas News and Profiles
While working under the Gulf Cartel, Z42 was active primarily in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. He continued to work very closely with Z40 throughout this time period. According to one US agent, he once boasted that he had killed over 1,000 people.
Z42 FactboxDOB: 1974 Group: Zetas Criminal Activities: drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping Areas of Operation: Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon (Mexico) Status: Captured |
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offers a $5 million reward in exchange for information leading to his capture. Other rival criminal organizations also offered a reward for Z42’s death via narco-banners. In June 2013, for example, banners signed in the name of a Zeta splinter group known as the “Legionaires” appeared in cities across Tamaulipas, offering $1 million in exchange for intelligence about Z42’s location.
In March 2015, Omar was captured by Mexican security forces in Nuevo Leon.
Z42 is wanted for numerous crimes in Mexico and the United States, including a case handled by the Western District of Texas, accusing Miguel, Omar, and their brother, Jose, of using front companies in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma to launder profits on behalf of the Zetas. The case, filed in 2012, involved the use of US-based horse breeding companies in order to disguise dirty money. They were found guilty in April and are awaiting sentencing.
Omar was also the head of the organization’s activities in San Fernando when hundreds of migrants, most of them from Central America, were kidnapped and killed between 2010 – and 2012.
In 2021, a new Netflix series, “Somos.,” (We Are), shed light on the 2011 Allende massacre in Coahuila, which killed up to 300 people, and was reportedly ordered by Z42 and his brother, Miguel Angel Treviño, alias “Z40.”
Criminal Activities
Z42 participated in kidnappings, homicides, and drug trafficking on behalf of the Zetas. Narco-banners signed in his name have also appeared across Mexico, including several in Coahuila that threatened the editor of local newspaper Zocalo in 2013.
Geography
In the past, Z42 operated in Coahuila, although Nuevo Laredo is the traditional stronghold of the Treviño family and he operated in Nuevo Leon as well.
Allies and Enemies
The Zetas’ biggest enemies as of 2013 include the Sinaloa and Gulf Cartels, as well as smaller, splinter criminal organizations, such as the Knights Templar.
Prospects
Many analysts pointed to Z42 as a possible inheritor of the Zetas, after Z40’s arrest in July 2013. However, Omar’s capture in March 2015 has placed both brothers in Mexican prison cells. Before his arrest, Omar faced significant challenges in holding the group together, not least because he was not seen as a capable, intelligent and strong leader. Prior to his brother’s capture, the Zetas faced internal squabbling as some mid-level commanders accused Miguel Treviño of betraying his compatriots to the US.