Feds Raid Los Al Racer Tied to Brutal Drug Cartel

The New York Times is reporting this morning on a federal raid on a horseracing enterprise active at the and believed to be financed by Mexico’s most violent drug cartel.

The Justice Department arrested ranking members of Tremor Enterprises, the ownership group behind the colt ‘Mr. Ease Cartel’ that ran in Los Alamitos last weekend to qualify for a million-dollar race scheduled for June 24, the paper reported. In March, federal agents conducted a raid on the company’s Los Alamitos stables, according to The New York Times.

The federal investigation focuses on two brothers: José Treviño, who is at the helm of the horse-racing business, and Miguel Ángel Treviño, known as one of the most notorious killers in Mexican drug trafficking. In its in-depth investigation, The New York Times tells the chilling story of the intertwining worlds:

The brothers’ activities on either side of the border made for a stark contrast. One week in May began with the authorities pointing fingers at Miguel Ángel Treviño for dumping the bodies of 49 people — without heads, hands or feet — in garbage bags along a busy highway in northern Mexico. The week concluded with José Treviño fielding four Tremor horses in a prestigious race at Los Alamitos Race Course, near Los Angeles…. among the Mexican underworld, Mr. (Miguel Ángel) Treviño had gained the notoriety of a cult figure, one who has escaped unscathed from several gun battles against the law, makes deals with no one and seems unafraid to die. Dismembered bodies, dumped by the dozens, have become his calling card.

The paper goes on to quote an unnamed trainer on the racing industry’s willingness to work with the Treviño:

“Everyone knows who José Treviño is,” one trainer said. “But all they cared about was whether his checks would clear.”

According to the newspaper, the Treviño brothers are linked to the Zeta drug cartel, which has been blamed for the assignations of police chiefs, politicians and reporters. As the drug war raged, Treviño experienced some of his greatest success in horseracing in Los Alamitos.

For the full New York Times story, click here.