TERRORIST GROUPS
Northeast Cartel (CDN)
( As of December 2025 )
OVERVIEW
The Northeast Cartel (CDN) is a violent cartel designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) and is responsible for trafficking illicit narcotics and migrants into the United States. CDN was formed in 2014 by now-detained Miguel Angel Trevino Morales and Omar Trevino Morales as a splinter group of Los Zetas Cartel.
OPERATING AREAS
Primarily in northeast Mexico, including Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas; also operates clandestinely in the United States
MEMBERS
Probably more than 1,000
TACTICS AND TARGETS
CDN smuggles narcotics, migrants, and fuel into the United States by using hidden compartments in tractor trailers and passenger vehicles as well as lookouts on both sides of the US-Mexico border. CDN protects its criminal moneymaking operations through threats and violence, including kidnappings, torture, and murder. Its lethal operations often target rival cartels and Mexican security services. CDN members use a variety of small arms and armored vehicles to protect the group’s smuggling routes and territory.
TERRORIST GROUP DESIGNATION
The US State Department designated CDN as an FTO and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity in February 2025.
KEY LEADERS
Juan Cisneros Trevino
a.k.a. Juanito
CDN leader; assumed control after the arrest of his cousin and then-leader, Juan Gerardo Trevino Chavez, a.k.a. El Huevo, in 2022
Abdon Federico Rodriguez Garcia
a.k.a. Cucho
Second-in-command; was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in August 2025
Miguel Angel Trevino Morales [DETAINED]
a.k.a. Z-40
Cofounder and former leader of CDN; was extradited to the United States in February 2025 and is awaiting trial
Omar Trevino Morales [DETAINED]
a.k.a. Z-42
Cofounder and former leader of CDN; brother of Z-40; was extradited to the United States in February 2025 and is awaiting trial
Juan Gerardo Trevino Chavez [DETAINED]
a.k.a. El Huevo
Leader of CDN from 2016 to 2022; nephew of Z-40 and cousin of Juanito; was arrested and extradited to the United States in 2022; pleaded guilty to drug and money laundering charges in 2024
NOTABLE ATTACKS
August 2024
Tamaulipas, Mexico
CDN attacks a Mexican military patrol, which results in the deaths of two soldiers and the wounding of five.
June 2022
Nuevo Leon, Mexico
CDN ambushes Mexican police officers on patrol, which results in the deaths of six and the wounding of four.
March 2022
Tamaulipas, Mexico
CDN attacks the US Consulate in Nuevo Laredo with small arms and grenades after Mexican authorities arrested then-CDN leader El Huevo and extradited him to the United States. The attack causes no casualties.