A recently captured lieutenant with Los Zetas spent a little over a year in South Texas, hiding from his rivals before returning to Mexico to unleash extreme violence in the region. This cartel figure is credited with masterminding a large-scale attack that killed two Mexican soldiers and one police officer while injuring eight others in response to the recent arrest of his wife.
This week, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Jorge Luis “El Flaco or Gonzo” Chavez Hernandez, the regional leader of the Old School Zetas (Zetas Vieja Escuela) in San Fernando, Tamaulipas. The arrest came as part of a midnight raid, during which authorities caught El Flaco by surprise. He was not able to fight back or try to escape. After his capture, authorities moved him to Reynosa for further court hearings.
Jorge Luis “El Flaco” Chavez Hernandez. (Credit FGR Mexico)
Authorities in Tamaulipas wanted El Flaco for his alleged role as a primary instigator of violence. They had listed him as one of their most wanted criminals, offering $50,000 for his capture. However, the case is expected to go federal in a few days.
Escape to Texas
Chavez Hernandez had been a longtime member of the Escorpiones faction of the Gulf Cartel and had control over certain municipalities in the central part of the state. Sometime in 2017, he fell out with the leadership and was forced to go on the run. Law enforcement in Mexico sources revealed to Breitbart Texas that to avoid being killed, El Flaco crossed into South Texas, where he spent a little over a year keeping a low profile. At the same time, he worked to establish new alliances to regain his position.
Jorge Luis “El Flaco” Chavez Hernandez. (Credit Breitbart News Foundation / Carte; Chronicles)
Between 2018 and 2019, El Flaco returned to Tamaulipas, where he joined the group Panteras under Pablo Misael “Pantera24” Lar, who was from the Reynosa faction (Metros) of the Gulf Cartel and controlled the central part of Tamaulipas, including Soto La Marina and Abasolo.
File identifying Jorge Luis “El Flaco” Chavez Hernandez. (Credit: Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles).
While working with Pantera 24, Chavez Hernandez established an alliance with the Zetas Vieja Escuela group from San Fernando. Soon after, the Metros and ZVE joined forces with Cartel Jalisco New Generation, an alliance that set off a longstanding war with the Escorpiones that continues to this day.
Ambush Attack
In April 2023, the Escorpiones made a significant push to reclaim the central part of Tamaulipas, but they were met with heavy resistance as El Flaco’s men had large-scale support from the ZVE, Metros, and CJNG. The fighting soon spread to various parts of Tamaulipas and continues to this day with unprecedented levels of intensity. Due to the widespread use of armored vehicles, both sides have resorted to the use of explosives and landmines and have even been using drones to drop explosives on their rivals.
El Flaco’s ferocity made local headlines in August 2024 when he set up an intricate ambush in Abasolo, Tamaulipas, where he killed two soldiers and one state police officer in an attack that injured eight other soldiers. The attack came soon after authorities had arrested his wife, Diana Laura Orozco, on weapons charges.
Diana Laura Jasso Orozco, wife of cartel commander El Flaco. (Credit Breitbart News Foundation / Cartel Chronicles).
El Flaco cut power to the city for that ambush and used several armored vehicles. As Breitbart Texas reported at the time, Tamaulipas State Police forces were not able to get backup in a timely manner due to a fuel shortage caused by government cuts.
Editor’s Note: Breitbart News Foundation traveled to Mexico City and the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and their original Spanish. This article was written by “Francisco Morales”, “J.C. Sanchez” and “J.A. Espinoza” from Tamaulipas.