On Thursday, February 27, Texas authorities confirmed the extradition to the United States of Miguel Ángel Treviño-Morales, known as 'El Z-40', and Óscar Omar Treviño Morales, alias 'El Z-42', leaders of the criminal group Los Zetas. The Webb County Sheriff's Office in Texas was responsible for receiving these two dangerous criminals.
U.S. authorities issued a security alert for their citizens visiting Nuevo Laredo and other areas of Tamaulipas, recommending heightened precautions due to the history of extreme violence with which Los Zetas have responded to the actions of the Mexican government in the past.
Let us remember that on February 3, after the arrest of 'El Ricky', leader of the Northeast Cartel in the region, strong clashes and blockades erupted that paralyzed Nuevo Laredo. These events led to the temporary closure of the city's International Airport.
The extradition of Treviño-Morales and Treviño Morales coincided with the visit to Washington of Omar García Harfuch, Secretary of Security in Mexico. This working meeting with Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States, aimed to strengthen bilateral coordination on security matters.
On the other hand, the lawyer of 'El Z-40', Juan Manuel Delgado, expressed his surprise at the news of his client's extradition, claiming that this process was impossible. Delgado explained that, until now, the necessary judicial phase to proceed with the extradition of Miguel Ángel Treviño-Morales had not been completed and that he had legal protections that supposedly shielded him from this transfer to the United States.
After several years of requesting the extradition of the leaders of Los Zetas to the United States, the action was finally carried out that placed them in the hands of U.S. authorities, following a process that the lawyer of 'El Z-40' considered premature.
