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Who Is Juan Cisneros Treviño? Role, Charges and Status
What officials and news reports say about Juan Cisneros Treviño, known as “Juan Cisneros Treviño”. Everything below is attributed to its source. Accusations are allegations, not findings: anyone not convicted is presumed innocent.
At a glance
- Name: Juan Cisneros Treviño
- Known as: Juan Cisneros Treviño
- Role, as officials describe it: The ODNI Counterterrorism Guide (as of May 2026) lists him as the CDN leader, saying he assumed control after the arrest of his cousin and then-leader Juan Gerardo Treviño Chávez ("El Huevo") in 2022. [U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2026-05-01 · official record]
- Latest status (as of 2026-09-30): He is reported at large; no capture has been reported as of Sept. 30, 2026. [U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2026-05-01 · official record]
- On this page: 12 facts from 5 sources (6 from official records). Unverified leads are not shown.
Role, as officials describe it
- Infobae described him as head of the organization and of its armed arm, the "Tropa del Infierno" (Troop of Hell). [Infobae, 2022-04-05 · news/research]
- Treasury's recent CDN action named his reported second-in-command, Abdón Federico Rodríguez García ("Cucho") — OFAC-designated in August 2025 — and high-ranking member Antonio Romero Sánchez ("Romeo"). [U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2026-09-29 · official record]
- The same Treasury release says Francisco Daniel Esqueda Nieto ("Franky Esqueda") took over CDN's tactical operations in Nuevo Laredo after the 2025 arrest of a CDN leader identified as "Gonzalez." [U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2026-09-29 · official record]
Names and aliases
- He is Juan Cisneros Treviño, alias "Juanito" (also rendered "El Juanito" / "Juanito Treviño"). [U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2026-05-01 · official record]
Key events
- He is the cousin of Juan Gerardo Treviño Chávez ("El Huevo") and the nephew of Miguel Ángel Treviño Morales (Z-40) and Óscar Omar Treviño Morales (Z-42); his mother is Ana Isabel Treviño Morales. [Infobae, 2022-04-05 · news/research]
- He reportedly had a strong rivalry with his cousin El Huevo for control of the organization; after El Huevo's capture, rumors circulated (reported by La Opinión) that Cisneros Treviño had leaked information leading to his cousin's arrest. [Infobae, 2022-04-05 · news/research]
- Under his reported leadership the group maintains a fierce struggle with Gulf Cartel cells and in territorial disputes against the Old School Zetas. [Infobae, 2022-04-05 · news/research]
- El Huevo was captured in March 2022 in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas; InSight Crime noted at the time that speculation had begun that his cousin Juan Cisneros Treviño ("Juanito") had taken over CDN leadership. [InSight Crime, 2022-03-18 · news/research]
- The succession line: after the arrests of Z-40 and Z-42, command went to their nephew Juan Francisco Treviño Chávez ("Kiko"), who renamed the group the Cártel del Noreste; Kiko was arrested in Baytown, Texas, in September 2016. U.S. law enforcement assessed that Z-40 and Z-42 kept directing CDN operations from Mexican prisons. [Parriva, 2021-06-01 · news/research]
- The U.S. designated the CDN as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist in February 2025; ODNI (May 2026) puts its membership at probably more than 1,000, operating mainly in Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. [U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2026-05-01 · official record]
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Last reviewed: September 30, 2026. If you are named here and believe something is wrong, contact us via our corrections page.