Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales (Z-40)

Unlike the original GAFE-trained Zetas founders, Treviño Morales was a civilian recruited into the organization, representing the shift from military discipline to pure brutality. Known for extreme violence, he took control of Los Zetas after Lazcano’s death in 2012. His leadership accelerated the organization’s fragmentation.

Captured by Mexican Marines in July 2013. His brother Omar (“Z-42”) was captured in 2015, effectively ending the Treviño family’s control and splitting the Zetas into rival factions: Cartel del Noreste, Zetas Vieja Escuela, and Grupo Bravo/Talibanes.