Alleged Zetas Founder 'El Chocotorro' Reveals His Identity On Social Media, Then Removes Videos (Updated)

"Morogris" for Borderland Beat

Update: On the evening of 11 January 2024, days after this story was posted, his videos were reinstated on his YouTube channel for a few hours. They are not available again.

Several days ago, an individual purporting to be Daniel Enrique Márquez (El Chocotorro), an alleged founding member of Los Zetas, uploaded multiple long-form videos on YouTube detailing his military and organized crime background.

These long-form videos have since vanished from social media platforms after garnering attention. A handful of shorter clips remain, but the original recordings are no longer accessible.

Who is El Chocotorro? Can the man in the video be trusted with what he says? And was this individual truly the mentioned founding member of Los Zetas?

Social media presence

The YouTube channel GAFE Coleccionista (Collectionist Gafe) has been active for nearly a year. It is managed by an individual who both resembles and claims to be Daniel Enrique Marquez, alias El Chocotorro, one of the founding members of Los Zetas.

In recent weeks, he uploaded at least several videos—two of which exceeded an hour—where he shared insights into his experience as a member of the Mexican Army's Special Forces Airmobile Group (Spanish: Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales, GAFE), his association with Los Zetas, and other details concerning the Mexican criminal underworld. He presented unique images and delved into the intricate details of various influential Zetas members who have died, been arrested, or have faded into obscurity over the years.

Following a surge in popularity on TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and X, the videos were either deleted or set to private by GAFE Coleccionista Additionally, he has hidden other videos unrelated to organized crime activities, in which he shared glimpses of his personal life, including his home office, as well as those featuring clearer images of his face.

El Chocotorro's mug shot, published in the early 2000s (left), bears a striking resemblance to GAFE Coleccionista (right)

The reason for hiding or deleting his videos remains unknown. It is conceivable that GAFE Coleccionista reconsidered his actions, acknowledging that he might have divulged too much about himself and others, potentially jeopardizing his safety. However, it is also plausible that this was a publicity stunt intended to generate attention for his upcoming book about the early Zetas, a project he mentioned multiple times was underway for release in 2024. His book will reportedly be titled "El Ultimo Zeta" (The Last Zeta).

In this screenshot, Gafe Coleccionista responds to a YouTube commenter inquiring about the availability of his book and whether it will be released in audio format. Gafe Coleccionista confirms that the book is currently in the editing stage and will soon be available for purchase.

What Did He Say?

The videos detailing his criminal activities are no longer available, but some details of what Gafe Coleccionista discussed have been shared by Borderland Beat readers.

One of our readers emailed us, stating that GAFE Coleccionista mentioned joining Los Zetas in the year 2000 after being invited by Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano's (Z-3) brother-in-law, Hector Robles Duarte (El Caballo). Gafe Coleccionista claimed that he joined Los Zetas under false pretenses. He said he aspired to work as a police officer and believed that accompanying El Caballo to Tamaulipas would secure him a role in the police force. Many of the GAFEs, he said, were not initially aware they were being recruited by the Gulf Cartel.

Gafe Coleccionista also explained that he was part of the planning group that attempted to kill Edelio Lopez Falcon (El Yeyo) during a music concert in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, in May 2001.

One revealing disclosure by Gafe Coleccionista was that he mentioned many GAFEs and high-ranking soldiers deserted from the military because the government believed a significant number of them were corrupt or not fit for the role. The government reportedly informed them that they had to restart their training from scratch if they wished to retain their rank. He mentioned that the decision was made in Pachuca, Hidalgo, where the 18th Military Zone is located. Many of them departed to pursue civilian careers, while others were hired by the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas.

Gafe Coleccionista mentioned that he met Daniel Pérez Rojas (El Cachetes), Alfonso Lechuga Licona (El Cañas), Prisciliano Ibarra Yepiz (El Yepis), José Ramón Dávila López (El Cholo), Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar (El Mamito), and El Caballo, during his time in the military.

Gafe Coleccionista also talked about Alejandro Lucio Morales Betancourt (Z-2), one of the enigmatic early members of Los Zetas. Z-2 was apprehended in 2001 and quickly cooperated with the government as a protected witness, codenamed "Yeraldin" and/or "Geraldin". His testimonies played a crucial role in providing insights into the early structure of Los Zetas. According to Gafe Coleccionista, Z-2 was an "official" (indicating that he did not desert from the military) and was not recruited into Los Zetas as a formal, full-time member. 

Gafe Coleccionista showing more pictures during his time in the military; several of these men depicted here later became known Zetas members

Background

Very few details are known about El Chocotorro's career. One of the earliest public references to his involvement in Los Zetas occurred in 2003 when Mexico's former Attorney General's Office (PGR) disclosed his name, among 30 other members of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. 

This revelation followed the identification by the Specialized Unit Against Organized Crime (UEDO) of El Chocotorro as a high-ranking member of Los Zetas after the arrest of Osiel Cardenas Guillen on March 14 of that year. He was charged with drug trafficking and organized crime involvement.

El Chocotorro is among the few remaining Zetas founders who were never reported as apprehended or killed in action. Other original Zetas members who are still at large include Jorge Lopez Perez (El Chuta), Prisciliano Ibarra Yepis, Gustavo González Castro (El Erotico), Carlos Vera Calva (El Vera), Benjamín Torres Sosa, Eduardo Estrada Gonzalez, Leopoldo Flores Soto, Zeferino Peña Cuellar (Don Zefe), and Maxiley Barahona Nadales (Z-19).

Over the years, El Chocotorro and several other Zetas founders captivated readers for evading capture in an era when the average lifespan of a fugitive drug cartel leader had rapidly decreased.

When the alliance between the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas dissolved in early 2010, speculation arose that both El Chocotorro and El Vera, suspected to have served as Zetas envoys in Europe, chose to remain in Spain and not return to Mexico. Although this information was never substantiated, it became a topic of discussion in various online forums. 

According to the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA), there are no records of him ever being part of the military, at least under the name "Daniel Enrique Marquez Aguilar." An information transparency request issued in 2006 stated that there were no military files under this name. However, Borderland Beat has information suggesting that El Chocotorro may have been enlisted in the military under an alternate alias: Daniel Enrique Marquez Erives, sometimes only spelled as Daniel Enrique Erives or simply as Daniel Erives.

We were able to confirm this by viewing one of GAFE Coleccionista's YouTube videos (which has since been deleted or hidden) where he shared several certificates posted on his home office wall. In a brief glimpse, we captured his full name, revealing an alternate maternal surname ("Erives" instead of "Aguilar"). In a protected witness testimony given by original Zetas member Mateo Lopez Diaz (Comandante Mateo), he stated that El Chocotorro was a military deserter.

Based on his YouTube videos, GAFE Coleccionista possibly resides in northern Mexico, likely in the state of Chihuahua or its vicinity. In one of his videos still accessible on the web, he documents a drive through El Paso, Texas, indicating that he possesses at least a US visa, enabling him to cross the international border without complications. As per some of his previous revelations, he is presently employed as a private bodyguard (Spanish: escolta) for various clients. He also shares his passion for training and participating in long-distance  running competitions, in addition to posting content related to his activities at the shooting range.

GAFE Coleccionista may be related to José Raúl Marquez-Erives, a drug trafficker arrested in El Paso, Texas, in 2014 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking and money laundering. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Jose Raul served as the leader of an 8-person smuggling ring in the El Paso–Juárez area, facilitating the transfer of drugs to cities such as Denver and Minneapolis. Property records disclosed by El Paso Times indicate that Jose Raul owned a property on the US side, in proximity to the Tornillo–Guadalupe International Bridge.

Sources: YouTube Channel; Borderland Beat analysis; Sedena; El Paso Times