The Zetas and the Battle for Monterrey

MEXICO / 16 DEC 2012

The Zetas’ top leader is dead and the group is seemingly splitting into pieces, but they remain Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s biggest security challenge. In this context, InSight Crime delves into how this city became a key hub.

Chapter 1

Part I - How the Zetas Took Monterrey

MEXICO / 16 DEC 2012

The Zetas have many sides. The group is at once sophisticated and ruthless, coordinating multi-caravan ambushes and sending hooligans to launch a wild assault on a police station. It has…

Chapter 2

Part II - The Zetas and Monterrey Math

INFOGRAPHICS / 16 DEC 2012

Just days after the fire at the Casino Royale, authorities captured five suspects, one of whom was a state policeman. Officer Miguel Angel Barraza Escamilla later admitted to investigators that…

Chapter 3

Part III - The Battle for Monterrey

MEXICO / 16 DEC 2012

In October, the Mexican Navy killed the Zetas' top leader, Heriberto Lazcano, alias "Z-3." Lazcano was a mythic figure, evident in the way the group marshalled…

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THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

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