Mexico: Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Chiapas, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Michoacán, State of México
Rest of North America: United States, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
South America: Colombia, Peru, Panama, and Venezuela[2]
Europe: Balkans, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, European Union, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Ethnicity
Multi-ethnic, but mainly Mexican and Latino
Membership (est.)
20,000-50,000
Leader(s)
Maxiley Barahona Nadales, Amerigo "Gringo" Romano
Criminal activities
Drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms trafficking, murder, rape, kidnapping, racketeering, extortion, arson, hacking, video piracy, prostitution, theft[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Allies
Tijuana Cartel Juárez Cartel 'Ndrangheta Los Mazatlecos Barrio Azteca MS-13[9] Texas Syndicate Gangster Disciples Triad[10] The Office of Envigado La Linea Hezbollah[11][12][13][14] Sicilian Mafia[15] Camorra Cartel of the Suns Los Zetas Group Bravo
Rivals
Sinaloa Cartel[16] Knights Templar Cartel Jalisco New Generation Cartel Gulf Cartel DEA
Los Zetas (pronounced[losˈsetas], Spanish for "The Zs") is a Mexican criminal syndicate, known as one of the most dangerous of Mexico's drug cartels.[17][18][19][20][21] They are known for engaging in brutally violent "shock and awe" tactics such as beheadings, torture, and indiscriminate murder.[22] While primarily concerned with drug trafficking, the organization also runs profitable sex and gun rackets.[23] Los Zetas also operate through protection rackets, assassinations, extortion, kidnappings and other illegal activities.[24] The organization is based in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, directly across the border from Laredo, Texas.[25] The origins of Los Zetas date back to the late 1990s, when commandos of the Mexican Army deserted their ranks and began working as the enforcement arm of the Gulf Cartel.[22][26] In February 2010, Los Zetas broke away and formed their own criminal organization, rivalling the Gulf Cartel.[27][28]
They were at one point Mexico's largest and most expansive drug cartel in terms of geographical presence, overtaking their rivals, the Sinaloa Cartel, in physical territory.[29] However, in recent times Los Zetas has become fragmented and seen its influence diminish.[30] As of March 2016, Grupo Bravo (Bravo Group) and Zetas Vieja Escuela (Old School Zetas) have formed an alliance with the Gulf Cartel against Cartel Del Noreste (Cartel of the Northeast).[31] In March 2019, Texas Republican congressman Chip Roy introduced a bill that would list the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas, Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Gulf Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations. Former United States President Donald Trump had also expressed interest in designating cartels as terrorist organizations.[32] However such plans were halted at the request of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.[33]
^Vulliamy, Ed (14 November 2009). "The Zetas: gangster kings of their own brutal narco-state". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
^"4 de los carteles mexicanos operan en Panamá: Autoridades". Insight Crime. 27 March 2017.
^Grillo, Ioan (31 July 2013). "The Mexican Drug Cartels' Other Business: Sex Trafficking". Time.
^"Zetas". 4 April 2012.
^Booth, William (29 May 2011). "Drug cartels muscle in to piracy business" – via The Washington Post.
^Allen, Nick (16 July 2013). "Mexico's 'most sadistic' drug kingpin's reign ends without a shot fired". Archived from the original on 11 January 2022 – via The Daily Telegraph.
^Tuckman, Jo (4 September 2010). "Tortured Mexican kidnap victim says: 'I would sit there wondering how people could be that bad'". The Guardian.
^"Pay de Limón, the Dog that Survived the Torture of the Los Zetas Cartel". Vallarta Daily News. 13 May 2020.
^"Zetas and MS-13 Join Forces in Guatemala". Foxnews.com. 7 April 2012.
^"Organized Crime Exploits China's Growing Links to Latin America". Jamestown.org. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
^"Coked Up: How Hezbollah is fundraising with Mexican drug cartels - The Commentator". Thecommentator.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
^"The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook". Politico. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
^"Iran and Hezbollah's Presence Around the World". Lawfare. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
^"Analysis: Hezbollah's presence in Donald Trump's backyard". Al Arabiya English. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2020.[permanent dead link]
^"The Business Relationship Between Italy's Mafia and Mexico's Drug Cartels". Insightcrime.org. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
^Ioan Grillo (2012). El Narco: The Bloody Rise of Mexican Drug Cartels. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 336. ISBN 978-1408824337.
^Ware, Michael (6 August 2009). "Los Zetas called Mexico's most dangerous drug cartel". CNN. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
^"Narco Terms". Borderland Beat. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
^Pachico, Elyssa (27 March 2017). "Why Kidnapping, Extortion Boomed in Mexico".
^Crime, InSight (27 March 2017). "Zetas".
^Robbins, Seth (27 March 2017). "Murder Spotlights Zetas Extortion at Mexico University".
^ abStastna, Kazi (28 August 2011). "The cartels behind Mexico's drug war". CBS News. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
^"A Profile of Los Zetas: Mexico's Second Most Powerful Drug Cartel – Combating Terrorism Center at West Point". 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
^McCAUL, MICHAEL T. "A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border" (PDF). HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
^"Dissecting a Mexican Cartel Bombing in Monterrey". Stratfor. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
^Grant, Will (11 September 2012). "Mexico's Zetas drug gang split raises bloodshed fears". BBC News. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
^"Weekend shootouts in northeastern Mexico kill at least 9". CNN News. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
^"El origen de 'Los Zetas': brazo armado del cártel del Golfo". CNN México. 5 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013.
^"Zetas Now Mexico's Biggest Cartel, Report Says". Fox News Channel. 26 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
^"The Rise and Fall of Los Zetas". 13 October 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
^"Proceso: Fracción de Los Zetas, ahora Cártel del Noreste, advierte masacre por extradiciones". Proceso. Revista Proceso. 16 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
^"Rep. Chip Roy Releases Bill Asking Sec. Pompeo to Designate Cartels Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)". 12 March 2019.
^"Trump halts plan to treat cartels as terrorists". BBC News. 7 December 2019.
in recent times LosZetas has become fragmented and seen its influence diminish. As of March 2016, Grupo Bravo (Bravo Group) and Zetas Vieja Escuela (Old...
portion of LosZetas’ income comes from local operations. Drug trafficking makes up at least 50% of their revenue (other sources say less). The Zetas were more...
Mata Zetas (Zeta Killers) and we are against kidnapping and extortion, and we will fight them in all states for a cleaner Mexico. — Los Mata Zetas (Jalisco...
and LosZetas to the Mexican authorities, and that the Gulf Cartel had created Los Escorpiones to stop and balance the growing hegemony of LosZetas. However...
Carlos (2004). Resa Nestares, Carlos (2004). «El mito de losZetas». "The myth of the Zetas." Magazine (37). p. 32. Montemayor, Carlos (2004). «Ejércitos...
Monthly. Retrieved December 1, 2023. "Z-43: LosZetas después de LosZetas" [Z-43: The Zetas After The Zetas]. El Universal (Mexico City) (in Spanish)....
The Zetas Vieja Escuela (English: Old School Zetas) is a Mexican criminal organization that splintered from LosZetas. It was founded by José Guizar Valencia...
Sangre Nueva Zeta is a Mexican criminal syndicate formed in 2019. The organization is made up of former members of LosZetas. Sangre Nueva Zeta first appeared...
recreational hunter. Don Alejo gained fame after making a last stand against the LosZetas cartel, in defense of his ranch, near Ciudad Victoria, in Tamaulipas....
Monthly. Retrieved December 1, 2023. "Z-43: LosZetas después de "LosZetas"" [Z-43: The Zetas After “The Zetas”]. El Universal newspaper (in Spanish). Written...
the former leader of the Gulf cartel, had other similar groups besides LosZetas established in several cities in Tamaulipas. Each of these groups were...
the former leader of the Gulf cartel, had other similar groups besides LosZetas established in several cities in Tamaulipas. Each of these groups were...
major financial operator and money launderer for LosZetas. Unlike the original members of LosZetas who joined the organization in the 1990s, Velázquez...
Norte", golpe contundente a losZetas: Sedena". TV Milenio. Retrieved August 5, 2011. "Revelan golpe contundente a 'Zetas' con 30 muertos". El Siglo de...
Bargent. "US Report Shows Zetas Corruption of Guatemala's Special Forces". Retrieved 26 December 2014. "US created monsters: Zetas and Kaibiles death squads"...
his aliases Z-3 and El Lazca, was a Mexican drug lord and the leader of LosZetas drug cartel. He was one of the most-wanted Mexican drug lords. Lazcano...
San Fernando, was the mass murder of 72 undocumented immigrants by the LosZetas drug cartel in the village of El Huizachal in the municipality of San...