Los Zetas Boss Gets Life in Prison for Cartel Massacres after Losing Government Protection

cartel oven

A former top-ranking leader within Los Zetas cartel was given three separate life sentences on multiple murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, and weapons charges to be served in the United States. The Zeta received protection from the Mexican government and is one of the individuals responsible for the mass incineration of victims in the border state of Coahuila.

Marciano “Chano” Millan Vazquez, 34, the former regional boss for Los Zetas in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, was sentenced to three life terms in prison for his role in the multiple massacres and other criminal activities in the region. Millan is linked to one of the massacres that Zetas carried out in 2011 where they kidnapped multiple victims from Piedras Negras and Allende, Coahuila.

Breitbart Texas performed a three-month investigation into the massacres; at least 300 victims were murdered and incinerated between 2011 and 2013. Half of those victims were incinerated inside the Piedras Negras Prison where Los Zetas had complete control and government protection.

According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chano is personally responsible for the murder of 29 victims from 2009 to 2015.

In one of the most gruesome murders, Chano used an axe to dismember a young girl in front of her parents while laughing, saying “so you’ll remember me.” The girl’s body was then incinerated. The cartel boss then forced the father to watch as he hacked his wife to pieces and also incinerated her. Eventually, he murdered the man but not before making him suffer.

Federal prosecutors were able to convict Chano in July 2016 after a three-week trial where witnesses revealed that the entire Coahuila government, including its former governor Humberto Moreira, had worked for Los Zetas. As Breitbart Texas reported, the criminal organization was able to operate with complete impunity in the border state. Prior to his trial, Chano tried to introduce court documents from Coahuila called an Amparo, or trial of acquittal, claiming that he had been cleared of any wrongdoing; a claim that federal prosecutors rebuked due to the high level of corruption there, Breitbart Texas previously reported.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon.  You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.

Brandon Darby is managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and Stephen K. Bannon. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.

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