Who is "El Tomate", the leader of the Tepito Union who changed his physique to elude the authorities

José Mauricio Hernández Gasca, better known as el Tomate, considered an important element within the leadership structure of the Union Tepito cartel, was arrested the night of Wednesday in front of a barbershop with Renat Dassae E. V. alias El daza or Dassa, and another hit man identified as El Cors.

“Today, two leaders of a criminal cell dedicated to the collection of land and extortion in the Historic Center of Mexico City, as well as the sale and distribution of drugs, were arrested. These subjects are responsible for ordering and participating in various homicides,” reported Mexico City Police Chief Omar García Harfuch on Twitter.

However, what caught Tomato's attention the most was the great change in his appearance, because of that beardless and overweight subject that the authorities had captured on two previous occasions, there was no longer any left. nothing: since then, she's lost several pounds and grown her facial hair to elude authorities.

El Tomate, in addition to working as a hitman and being part of the close circle of Roberto Moyado Esparza, el Betito, was involved in the massacre that occurred in Plaza Garibaldi on September 14, 2018, when six people were killed and seven more were injured.

The attack was against Jorge Flores Conchas, El Tortas, leader of the Fuerza Anti-Unión group, who was arrested and placed on trial for his probable responsibility in crimes against health, in the form of possession for commercial purposes, as well as possession of cartridges and firearms for the exclusive use of the armed forces.

The hitmen dressed as mariachis fled on three motorcycles. However, El Tortas was not in the lunch box where the murderers arrived, who opened fire with high-powered weapons.

El Tomate, El Daza and El Cors confessed that they work for El Manzano, the main operator of the extortion of merchants on the first square of the Historic Center of the CDMx and its surroundings, as Eje 1 Norte to Donceles, passing through Anillo de Circunvalación.

Since his previous arrest, recorded on June 12, 2019, el Tomate disappeared from the streets of the capital. However, this August 18, more than two years later, he fell back into the hands of justice.

A video shared by journalist Carlos Jiménez, better known asC4, shows the arrival at the Mexico City Prosecutor's Office of the three members of this criminal group.

Handcuffed, subdued, crestfallen and in sportswear, they get out of a black van, without logos or other hallmarks of any dependency in the capital. Several agents escort them and carry the drugs and weapons they were carrying at the time of their arrest.

It should be remembered that El Manzano climbed to the top of La Unión Tepito after the capture of Betito and the murder of Javier Arenas, El Pulga; and Omar Sánchez, El Gaznate, who served as the following in the organization chart of this cartel.

For some time, this ringleader managed to escape from the authorities of the metropolis thanks to the fact that he gave himself the name of Tomato, for which, up to now, he has not been arrested, because in June 2019, during an operation in front of at República de Paraguay street number 62, in the Centro neighborhood, he escaped while he was in a meeting with members of La Unión de la B.

Now it is expected that Tomato will not be released again as happened two years ago, when the Prosecutor's Office could not prove his guilt in the crime of homicide, since the only witness they had did not appear to point him out as the subject whom he saw participate in the multiple homicide in Plaza Garibaldi, in September 2018.

The judicial folder 012/765/2018 details that, in that year, the prosecution obtained the testimony of a man who said his name was José Alberto Hernández Villegas. He allegedly assured the Public Ministry that he observed Tomato at the crime scene.

In his statement, he included that he saw him get out of a Versa model car and approach his victim to shoot. The alleged witness assured that he did not know his name, but he described him physically and assured that he was nicknamed Tomate de La Unión.

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They reapprehended the "Tomate", bloodthirsty leader of La Unión TepitoWho is the "Tomate", the bloodthirsty leader of the Unión Tepito who was released due to a mistake