Cartel Del Noreste leader indicted, faces 7 charges carrying life sentences

The cartel leader whose arrest reportedly led to a chaotic early Monday morning in Nuevo Laredo featuring gunfire and flaming tractor-trailers has been indicted.

Juan Gerardo Treviño Chavez, also known as “El Huevo,” has been indicted on numerous charges in San Antonio. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday.

Treviño, 39, is stated as the leader of the criminal organization of the Cartel Del Noreste — an offshoot of Los Zetas — and a group of assassins called “Tropas del Infierno.” 

He is also the nephew of Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales — known as “Z40,” the former Zetas leader currently serving a life sentence — and Óscar Omar Treviño Morales, alias “Z42.” He is also the brother of Juan Francisco “Kiko” Treviño Chavez, who the Mexican government says is linked to drug trafficking.

Treviño has been charged with 11 counts including:

• Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana.
• Conspiracy to Import Marijuana.
• Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances.
• Conspiracy to Employ a Person Under 18 in Drug Operations.
• Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
• Conspiracy to Import Cocaine.
• Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
• Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine.
• Conspiracy to Possess Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking.
• Possession of a Machine Gun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
• Money Laundering.

Treviño faces up to life in prison on seven of the charges, including all of the conspiracy to possess marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine charges, the conspiracy to import cocaine and methamphetamine charges, the unlawful distribution charge and the employment of a person under 18 in drug operations charge.

Additionally, the firearm charges and the money laundering charge all carry a maximum 20-year sentence while the conspiracy to import marijuana charge has a maximum 10-year sentence.

The Mexican government previously stated that Treviño had three arrest warrants. One was in Tamaulipas for extortion and criminal association, a second in Coahuila for intentional homicide and terrorism, and the last for extradition purposes for drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.

Mexican authorities said Monday that Treviño was arrested in Nuevo Laredo. The incident kicked off a frightening scene for locals in the early hours of that morning sparking gun battles, explosions and blockades around the Sister City. 

The Tamaulipas Public Security Secretariat confirmed that shots were fired against military installations and the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, leading to international bridges being closed for a few hours. Reports also indicated that suspected cartel members set commercial vehicles on fire to block two main avenues, according to the Department of Public Safety in Tamaulipas.

Being a U.S. citizen, Treviño was then deported as he was taken across the border in Tijuana and arrested in San Diego. He is in custody there, and records state he is pending a transfer to Texas to face the charges.

Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, described the arrest as "one of the most important arrests of the last decade." He discussed the arrest during a previously scheduled visit to Mexico Monday by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service were said to be investigating the case by the U.S. Attorney's Office, while receiving assistance from the FBI and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the arrest was said to have been a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. It states that OCDETF "identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach."