Los Zetas
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Los Zetas is a drug cartel operating along the Texas-Mexico border region.[1][2][3] The group is believed to be led by Heriberto “The Executioner” Castanon.
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[edit] Origin
Los Zetas were originally ex-Army special forces trained in locating and apprehending drug cartel members. The founding 31 members of Los Zetas were trained in small-group tactics, mission planning, aerial assaults and sophisticated communications methods at army bases throughout the world. It is widely rumored that these soldiers were originally trained at the military School of the Americas in the United States.[4][5] It is believed by Mexican Law Enforcement that the original members are rogue GAFE (Airborne Special Forces Groups) soldiers. Zeta training locations have been identified as containing the same items and setup as GAFE training facilities, it is also further believed the group employs the same internal organizational structure. Current estimates place Los Zetas around 200 members strong. The name "Zeta" comes from the Federal Preventive Police radio code for high-ranking officers.[1][2][3] The Zetas are unique among drug enforcer gangs in that they operate as a private army under the orders of the Gulf Cartel [6].
[edit] Gulf Cartel
The Gulf Cartel eventually recruited the specialists and employed them to track down rival cartel members and provide protection for smuggling routes.[1] Los Zetas are primarily based in the border region of Nuevo Laredo where it is believed they have carved the city into territories, placing lookouts at arrival destinations such as airports, bus stations and main roads. [2]
Upon the arrest of Cardenas it is believed Los Zetas began transporting their own drugs through former Gulf Cartel routes.[3]
[edit] Tactics
The group has been known to operate with modern wiretapping equipment and purchase the cellular phone codes of their intended targets directly from the phone companies and providers. Mexican authorities, during a raid on a Zeta location, recovered documents showing two commanders and a supervisor of the Nuevo Laredo police force were being bribed.[3]
Los Zetas is known to operate with a higher tactical degree than the local authorities. During one shootout against law enforcement the group employed grenade launchers and 50 cal. machine guns.[1] The group has been linked to monitoring and kidnapping of journalists, and the murder of rival cartel members and their families.[2]
Los Zetas has been known to hire local gangs such as Texas Syndicate, MS-13 and Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos, to carry out contract killings.[2]
Los Zetas is believed to be responsible for the assassination of police chief Alejandro Dominguez 6 hours after the swearing in ceremony.[2]
[edit] Law Enforcement Raids
Following a joint investigation, titled Operation Black Jack, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) McAllen Intelligence Center (MIC), two Zeta safe houses were identified and raided, recovering over 40 kidnapped individuals.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Bunker, Robert (July 2005). Networks, Terrorism and Global Insurgency. Routledge, xv. ISBN 0-41534819-6.
- ^ a b c d e f g (November 2005) Weak bilateral law enforcement presence at the U.S.Mexico border. Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- ^ a b c d (April 2007) Texas Monthly On . . .: Texas True Crime, 44. ISBN 0-29271675-3.
- ^ Thompson, Ginger (September 30, 2005). Mexico Fears Its Drug Traffickers Get Help From Guatemalans. New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
- ^ Laurie Freeman, State of Siege: Drug-Related Violence and Corruption in Mexico, Washington Office on Latin America, June 2006
- ^ Oscar Becerra, "New Traffickers Struggle for Control of Mexican Drug Trade," Jane's Intelligence Review, September 1, 2004.
