Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano

Who was Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano?

Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, commonly referred to by his alias Z-3 and/or El Lazca, was a Mexican drug lord and the leader of Los Zetas drug cartel. He was one of the most-wanted Mexican drug lords.

Lazcano joined the Mexican Army at the age of 17 and later ascended to the Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales, the Mexican Army special forces. During his tenure in the Mexican Army, Lazcano reportedly received military training from the Israeli Defense Forces and the United States Army, but eventually deserted in 1998, after eight years of service. Upon his desertion, he was recruited by the drug lord Osiel Cárdenas Guillén and Arturo Guzmán Decena with around 30 other soldiers to work as the enforcers of the Gulf Cartel, forming the paramilitary group known as Los Zetas. His torture methods earned him the nickname "El Verdugo", particularly for killing his victims by feeding them to lions and tigers he kept in a ranch.

Lazcano died in a shootout with the Mexican Navy on 7 October 2012.