Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, alias El Z-40, former leader of Los Zetas, being prosecuted on drug trafficking charges in Washington, complained through his lawyers about the isolation and segregation he says he has been subjected to for more than 275 days in a Virginia jail, and requested that he be allowed to interact with other inmates and speak regularly with his family.
In a lengthy 45-page document, submitted by his private attorneys and accompanied by several attachments, it is stated that the application of these measures against Treviño is unjustified, as he poses no risk to anyone. Proof of this, he says, is that since his arrest more than 12 years ago in Mexico, he has “read more than a thousand books, practiced yoga, studied origami, among other things.”
“Mr. Treviño respectfully requests that this Court revoke the administrative measures imposed upon him, as they are punitive and unconstitutional, order his removal from solitary confinement, grant him the opportunity to communicate daily with his family, and order his placement in the general population or any other unit the Court deems necessary,” states the motion filed with the court.
Defense attorneys Michael McCrum and William B. Purpura explain that after being deported from Mexico in February 2025—following an incomplete extradition process—Treviño was incarcerated in a local jail in Warsaw, Virginia, called the Northern Neck Regional Jail, which has a contract to house inmates subject to federal prosecution.
During the first 45 days of his incarceration at this facility, Treviño was subject to standard security measures, like any other inmate, and had access to family calls and visits, interaction with other inmates, and regular meetings with his attorneys. However, around the eighth week, the leader of Los Zetas was placed under the administrative measures known as “SAM,” which consist of isolating the inmate from the general population and minimizing his communication with the outside world.
These measures are designed for inmates who pose a high risk and who, for example, could use their communication with the outside world to coordinate a series of crimes. However, Treviño’s lawyers emphasize that this is not the case with their client, who, during the time he was allowed regular communication, it was supervised and no incidents were reported.
