The Criminal Career of "El Gafe"

"El Gafe" pictured at a party with "El Simple"

Following the April 17 arrest of  "El Gafe", the government has revealed previously unreported information about this individual who had long been shrouded in mystery. 

While social media had revealed the name of "El Gafe" as being Sergio Velázquez, his true name is José Tiburcio Hernández Fuentes.  The inconsistency is easily explained, however, as it was reported that he has used eight different names in an effort to escape arrest.

The criminal career of "El Gafe" reportedly began in the city of Río Bravo, Tamaulipas, in the year 2006.  It was then and there he became a lookout (halcón) under the command of Juan Manuel Rodríguez Rodríguez, alias "Juan Perros".  Apparently he excelled at this job and is described by government officials as being an expert at monitoring the movement of soldiers and police officers.



In 2009, Samuel Flores Borrego, alias "El Metro 3", named "El Gafe" as a sector commander (apparently in Reynosa, Tamaulipas) with five groups under him dedicated to the theft of gasoline, extortion, kidnapping, and retail drug dealing.  The following year his power had already grew, as he was then in command of three different sectors.

According to government officials, in 2012, "El Gafe" was named the head of plaza for Reynosa by Mario Armando Ramírez Treviño, alias "X-20".  However, this conflicts with a number of sources that placed Héctor David Delgado Santiago, alias "El Metro 4", as head of plaza up until his death on January 15, 2013, and thereafter Juan Francisco Martínez Ramírez, alias "El Paquito", up until April 2014, when he was pushed out of the plaza by Juan Manuel Rodríguez García, alias "Juan Perros Junior", and his allies, including "El Gafe", who took his place as head of plaza.

Regardless, in March 2013, "El Gafe" participated with "X-20" in a purge of the Los Metros faction of the Gulf Cartel which saw the death of Miguel Villarreal, alias "El Gringo", and Jesús García Román, alias "El Puma".  "El Gafe" then became an operative coordinator for Los Metros and, following the August 17, 2013 arrest of "X-20", operations chief for Los Metros under the leadership of the successor of "X-20", "Juan Perros Junior".

In June 2014, "El Gafe" participated in an attack against the Federal Police that were traveling on the Reynosa-San Fernando highway, near the Periquitos ejido, which left one officer dead and three injured.  Apparently thereafter, he was arrested aboard a vehicle during an operation by the Federal Police and marines; it is unclear when and how he was released.

"El Gafe" continued as head of plaza for Reynosa under the command of Juan Francisco Sáenz Tamez, alias "El Panochitas", who assumed leadership Los Metros up until his arrest in October 2014.  Thereafter, "El Gafe" became leader of Los Metros until his arrest.

Sources: 

'El Gafe', de halcón a líder del cártel del Golfo

Cae “El Gafe”, líder del Cártel del Golfo