“I Am Not El Chapo”: ‘Z-40’ Insists on an End to His Isolation in the US

Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, alias Z-40, former leader of the Los Zetas criminal organization, reiterated through his lawyers his request to a federal judge in Washington to lift the restrictive security measures that keep him isolated from any contact with anyone outside his legal team and a small group of family members.

In a new and lengthy brief submitted to the court by his lawyers, the defense accuses U.S. prosecutors of attempting to justify Treviño’s prison conditions by “demonizing” him with extreme crimes for which, they say, there is no evidence, and by characterizing him as a high-risk inmate capable of escaping like El Chapo Guzmán.

On January 17, MILENIO reported that attorneys Michael McCrum and William B. Purpura, representing Treviño, filed a motion requesting the removal of Special Measures of Arms (SAMs) from their client’s custody at the Virginia prison where he is being held, arguing that it constituted unjustified “segregation and isolation.”

In response, U.S. prosecutors argued that Treviño was an extremely dangerous criminal, responsible for massacres of civilians such as those in Allende and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, in 2011, and that he had continued to commit crimes even from Mexican prisons.

In this context, Treviño’s lawyers submitted a new statement in response to the prosecutors’ allegations, maintaining that none of the accusations were supported by any evidence, but rather consisted of vague or general descriptions of crimes.

“These claims lack any basis and are made with the intention of trying to demonize Mr. (Miguel Ángel) Treviño so that, based on an elaborate image of evil, it can be shown that he is a prisoner who must be subject to SAMs to contain his “high dangerousness,” they explained.

Defense Attorneys Deny Equation with El Chapo

In the document, which MILENIO obtained, the defense attorneys dismiss various comparisons made by prosecutors to other high-risk inmates or terrorists, and specifically rejected the notion that Treviño’s case is similar to that of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was also subjected to SAMs (Special Administrative Measures) while in pretrial detention.

The lawyers explained that during his years in prison in Mexico, Treviño has had no record of incidents, and the reports they offered as evidence prove this.

In contrast, they asserted that El Chapo escaped from high-security prisons twice thanks to the control he exerted over the prison authorities.

“These events are not comparable to the case of Mr. Treviño, given the circumstances and background of the latter, who has never received an administrative sanction or infraction during his time in prison, either in Mexico or in the United States. Therefore, there is no point of comparison between the two cases,” the lawyers stated.

What’s next in the process?

With the response offered by El Z-40’s defense attorneys to the prosecutors’ arguments, the written pleading phase related to the motion filed by Treviño Morales has concluded. It will now be up to Judge Trevor McFadden, who is presiding over the case, to make a determination.

It should be noted that if the judge deems it necessary to clarify any aspect, he may summon the parties to a hearing to discuss it and make a determination there.

Regardless, Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales, like his brother Omar Treviño Morales, El Z-42, has a scheduled hearing on May 1st to monitor the proceedings, which are open in the Federal Court of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C., on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

So far, there is no indication of a possible plea agreement, so the case remains on track toward a potential trial.

Source: Milenio