Mexico captures Zetas cartel kingpin Miguel Angel Trevino Morales near US border

Mexican officials say they have arrested one of the country's top drug kingpins who led the vicious Zetas cartel. 

Miguel Angel Trevino Morales was seized by Mexican naval special forces in Nuevo Laredo, just across the border from Laredo, Texas.

Trevino, also known by the nickname of Z-40, is one of the most wanted drug criminals on either side of the border, police said at a news conference Monday night.

"He had a reputation of leading the most vicious group in Mexico," one law enforcement official told the Dallas Morning News. "This is a huge symbolic way to end his career."

According to police, Trevino was carrying $2 million when he was taken into custody with two other men.

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He was also wanted in the United States on multiple drug charges, The New York Times reports.

The US State Department had offered $5 million for information leading to his capture.

The Zetas drug cartel operates primarily in Mexico but drugs and weapons make their way into the US, and violence often spills across the border.

Zetas have also been known to recruit members in Texas, reports the Times.

Trevino's capture is a big victory for Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his fight against organized crime. 

His capture may also strengthen the power of another powerful Mexican drug capo, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. 

Guzman's Sinaloa cartel is a competitor to the Zetas and may now see an opening to push into Nuevo Laredo, a lucrative drug smuggling point, reports the Los Angeles Times.

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