He is believed to have been one of the original commanders of the Milenio Cartel, and contributed much to the Familia's cult-like reputation. He was a devout evangelical, allegedly inspired by Christian writer John Eldredge’s “Wild At Heart.” Members of the Familia were reportedly required to study a book of Moreno’s own quasi-spiritual writings entitled “Thoughts,” which includes New Age maxims like “Don't view your obstacles as problems, but accept them and discover in them the opportunity to improve yourself.” Moreno also cited religious fundamentalist Carlos Cuauhtemoc Sanchez and motivational speaker Miguel Angel Cornejo as inspirations.
He is rumoured to have been born in Apatzingan, Michoacan, and to have migrated to California for several years, working in Palo Alto, Fresno and San Jose. He reportedly trafficked marijuana at the border of Tamaulipas and was arrested once in McAllen, Texas, on drug trafficking charges. As a member of the Milenio Cartel, Moreno may have been the driving force behind the rebellion which ejected the Zetas from Michoacan. In a rare media interview with leading Mexican magazine Nexos, he emphasized the Familia's “social work” in the state, and justified the group’s control of the local drug trade by declaring, “what we want to do is regulate it, so that the people are not exploited.”
Moreno was killed in a police shoot-out in Apatzingan on December 12, 2010.
Resources
- William Finnegan, "Silver or Lead," New Yorker, 31 May 2010.
- Steve Fainaru and William Booth, "A Mexican Cartel's Swift and Grisly Time," Washington Post, 13 June 2009.
- George W. Grayson, "La Familia: Another Deadly Mexican Syndicate," Foreign Policy Research Institute, February 2009.
- Alejandro Suverza, "El Evangelio Según la Familia," Nexos, January 2009. (Spanish)
