The monologues of Z40

Translated by Otis B Fly-Wheel for Borderland Beat from a Zetatijuana article

Subject Matter: Z-40, Miguel Trevino Morales
Recommendation: No prior subject matter knowledge required

Reporter: Luis Carlos Sainz
For more than two months, Miguel Trevino Morales established communication with an Amparo Judge. He explained to the Judge how he was not permitted to leave his cell for an hour daily, as is his human right. In his missives, the ex-leader of Los Zetas qualified that the "Altiplano" Penitentiary Authorities as "liars".

The days spent incarcerated of the alleged narco trafficker Miguel Angel Trevino Morales "El Z-40", the ex-leader of the criminal group Los Zetas, have not been the most comfortable of his existence and and because of that he got to know the Judges before whom he has promoted various Amparo's and guarantees of his fundamental rights as a prison of "Altiplano".

The claimant, prisoner number 3861 has had two transfers to the Federal prisons of Puente Grande and Oaxaca, but on both occasions he has been returned to Cefereso #1 at Almoloya de Juarez.


On his return to "Altiplano", a few days before the end of 2015, things were not going well. He promoted no less than three Amparo's, alleging castigation, isolation and torture, among them other acts that he attributes to the prison authorities. But in a particular aside, 287/2016 a Judge of the First District and Federal Civil cases, in the State of Mexico, called attention to the communication he established during more than the two months with the Judge.

On the 4th of March, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales reclaimed a justice of guarantees" for negation of him leaving his cell for an hour", he signalled that the authorities responsible are the Director General, and the President of the Interdisciplinary Technical Counsel of Cefereso #1, among others.

The Tamaulipan said that he stayed permanently in his cell, was not given access to educational activities, work, or to exercise.

The Judge conceded, as happens in these cases, a suspension so the abuse stops, while the authorities answered the reports pointing out, "that it is false what the complainant indicates in his writing".

Change of floor

The days passed, and on the 15th of March, Trevino wrote in his certificate of notification, " Mr Judge I am making known to you that they are controlling the work activities in Module 1, but on the 22nd of February, about 8 at night they transferred me to the special treatment area, corridor 1 cell 7, and an officer admitted in front of his clerk that today I had no yard time".

"El Z-40" also stated that he had two months with a book borrowed from the library, when it should be changed every week. The prison directors denied the statements of the prisoner. "yes he has yard time and he has book activities," they informed.

Since then, between formal and intrepid, the prisoner began to send messages in his notification certificates. This time, " Mr Judge they are lying in their answers, they are changing the floor in the yards, therefore I ask you if there is no floor in the yard, how can I take exercise there?"

On March 28th, the claimant noted in the Court document: " Mister Judge I am asking for an actuary of faith because the yard has no floor, they have removed the concrete and I can see this with my own eyes, they do not give me yard time, but the truth is I don't think you understand my letter, because I have asked for actuary of faith and it has not been granted."

Before the insistence of the petitioner, the Judge of Guarantees commissioned an actuary to attend the petitioner, and at the same time to remind the authorities of the correct expediency of Trevino, prisoner 3861, and they explained that they had been changing the prisoner location within modules, and that they permit him yard time for the appropriate amount of hours.

Three days after, the ex-leader of Los Zetas informed a judicial functionary: "Mr Judge they already changed me to Module 1, corridor 1B, floor 4, so the actuary doesn't need to inspect that, but I cannot go out in the yard, as you want".


Miguel angel added:" for everything , I bid you Senor Judge, that  you order the director to always all me an hour of yard time from the start, thus I say I have not been removed, because there would be a signature, and so if the director does not, there will be a record of it. I think to get rid of the problem, this would be the best option".

"They are good liars", said the alleged capo

After a month further and the authorities continued not to carry out the correct expediency of the Judge, he also rendered a request for the reports to verify that they were not violating the granted Amparo suspension. The Judge ordered the staff of the maximum security prison to comply with the request.

On April the 11th, Miguel Trevino returned to the charge: offer proof from the video cameras of corridor 1B, so that you may see they have not released me for yard time. Also the video camera from when I was in the special treatment module, corridor 1, cell 7.

The Judge negated the proofs and urged the directors of the prison to hand over the information. Two days after they answered. The prisoner has his hour out of his cell, activities and they didn't cross his yard time with his telephone call time.

"Z-40" refuted these answers by the penitentiary on the 18th of April: "Mr Judge, the directors of the prison are never going to remember that they keep me locked up, I therefore ask you to make him send you the surveillance videos to satisfy you as to the point that I don't have my yard time. Only once have they let me have it, on Tuesday April the 12th, 2016, for one hour and only on that date".

"They gave me a book on the 4th of April. That is true, but what they say of my yard time is not true, , and with reviewing the videos waste so much time, but would confirm to you I don't get let out, and that the managers here are good liars and are giving false reports and that is a crime, I am also aware that If I am making false allegations against him that that is also a crime, and when you verify that you have been given false reports from the responsible authorities, I am asking for the Public Ministry to exercise criminal action against them because they are supposed to be honest public servants but are in fact a ball of liars, in respect of my yard time, they could end the problem  but they do not wish to give it to me. For your attention, Thank  you, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales".

The complaints

The Judge asked the "Altiplano" authorities to refer records of the programming of all of the activities in the areas, where he was a complainant, as well as activities in the above locations. The Director sent the requested administrative  minutes of the Interdisciplinary Technical Council and documents indicating that Trevino had had yard time and was registered in drawing classes.

The 17th of May, the complainant learned of the official response, and then wrote again "Mr Judge, the report says that they gave me yard time 4 days a week, it is not true but lets presume its true. They must give me at least one hour to soak up the sun and exercise, and with this report they demonstrate that they are not doing it and the mark is that they kept me locked up 4 days a week, and it is affecting me because I'm locked up all day".

Concerning his registration for the art classes he commented:" They bought me twelve colors and a very large leaf notebook to draw in, I signed for it and they gave it to me in the art classroom, and since nobody has taught me any art, they took away the notebook and the colors".

"Therefore, they sent you a report that I was in drawing classes, I ask for an inspection by a notary so that you are sure that I have no kind of drawing material anymore, that they gave it to me, got me to sign for it, then took it away from me".

Finally arrived the moment of sentencing for the Amparo judgment. The prison staff contributed many official records, "Z-40" could prove nothing to the contrary. The ruling was the closure of the trial of guarantees by " the non existence of the claimed act". But the prisoner has not given up and is promoting new Amparo's in the hope of better luck.

Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana