Arturo Guzmán Decena (Z-1)

A lieutenant in Mexico’s elite GAFE special forces who had received training from the US 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. In 1997, recruited by Gulf Cartel boss Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, Guzmán Decena deserted the military and recruited approximately 30 other GAFE members to form Los Zetas, designated Z-1 as their founding commander.

The original group, known as the “Group of 14,” were all identified by Z-codes. They brought military discipline, intelligence-gathering capabilities, and advanced combat training into the drug trade for the first time. Guzmán Decena was killed by the Mexican military in Matamoros in November 2002.