SHOOTOUTS COMING TO AMERICA

Los Zetas are Ex- Army Special forces, regular troopers, police agents and common criminals who work for Osiel Cardenas in the drug trafficking business. Some have received special-forces training under the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Georgia [1]. The members with military backgrounds can be considered mercenaries working for Mexican drug cartels. The name Zeta, comes from the Code Z 1/ 2... used by the police (which it means person in charge of the territory "plaza")

The powerful "Narco" Joaquin "el Chapo" Guzman (Sinaloa cartel) is a rival of the Zetas' employer Osiel Cardenas (gulf cartel, currently in prison). These two cartels are waging a war for the territory "plaza" of the city of Nuevo Laredo.

Los Zetas are known to be extremely violent and have been blamed for an outbreak of violence along the border.

See also: Osiel Cardenas, Joaquin "el Chapo" Guzman, Francisco Ortiz Franco