Álvaro Noé Morfín Morfín (born 1978), also known as "El Comandante R-8" (Commander R-8), was an upper-echelon member of the Gulf Cartel Reynosa faction and leader of its Los Metros armed wing, reportedly the stepson of an influential man in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the brother of factional leader César Morfín Morfín, supervising criminal managerial responsibilities in the city for him. Some of his lieutenants included Rigoberto Zamarripa Arrispe, José Alfredo Hernández Campos, La Galleta and La Paleta de Metal.
Beginnings[]
Álvaro Noé Morfín Morfín was born in 1978 in his family's ranch in Las Naranjas, Pihuamo municipality in Jalisco, and his stepfather was apparently a man who would later become an important figure in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. His younger brother, César, who was nine years his junior, would follow him into a life of crime, and the two began wholesaling marijuana. Along several different states, the Morfín brothers began operating under the direction of Gulf Cartel lieutenant and Los Metros leader Samuel Flores Borrego, "El Metro 3", and became experienced hitmen through more than a decade of experience. They apparently relocated to Reynosa in 2009.
Legitimate businesses[]
In June 2017, Morfín supervised the construction of a luxury apartment in an affluent area of Zapopan, Jalisco. He was also associated with the Agroasemex agricultural insurance company, employing their resources on several projects between 2019 and 2020.
Acts of violence in Camargo[]
Morfín and his brother César were notable for their actions of extreme violence in Camargo Municipality, Tamaulipas at the head of Los Metros, as well as the Mata Mugrosos group which he established with his close collaborator Ricardo Martín Segura. He was attributed hundreds of kidnappings and disappearances along the state border region, and the two were considered some of the main generators of violence in the area. On January 26, 2021, the Morfín brothers and eight other traffickers were listed as wanted fugitives by Mexican and American authorities for various and wide-spanning charges. They generally operated with impunity on the part of corrupt authorities. On September 19, 2024, Morfín was spotted in a black Lamborghini in Anhelo colony in Reynosa after having met with and paid off some officers of the National Guard.
Activities in Tamaulipas[]
Rise to power[]
As time progressed, Morfín acquired more duties while he ascended in the Reynosa faction of the Gulf Cartel under his brother César, until he eventually, through demonstration of reliability by controlling drug and migrant smuggling and kidnapping activities, became plaza boss of Miguel Alemán. After various years, he started engaging in more overtly violent actions that highlighted his presence. His responsibilities were amplified as he was entrusted with preventing the entry of rival organization the Northeast Cartel through the Ribereña road in Tamaulipas: he was aided in this regard by prevalent Gulf member Rigoberto Zamarripa Arrispe. Their fight against the Northeast, specifically in Michoacán, was partly financed by transporting illegal crossers and moving drugs in the state with the assistance of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, with which they held a truce beginning in 2021. In September of that year, the Morfíns were threatened by a Northeast hitman through radio frequency who declared that Tamaulipas belonged to them. Alternating bases of operations between Jalisco and Michoacán, they were especially close and supported the activities of upper echelon CJNG member Audias Flores Silva. Morfín also controlled a violent group of hitmen and coordinators who, in March 2024, were suspected of "heating up" the plaza and causing instability as a result of unsanctioned executions along El Piquete.
La Paleta's message[]
Gulf Cartel banner in Reynosa pledging allegiance to Morfín and Ricardo Martín Segura, October 2023.
After a confrontation between Gulf Cartel and law enforcement forces in Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas on October 24, 2023, authorities discovered a banner on the back of a Gulf vehicle which was signed "Paleta de Metal 3-5, full-on Gulf Cartel, at the orders of Cmte. R-8 and R-57", designating Morfín and Ricardo Martín Segura respectively.
Occupation of Miguel Alemán[]
Shortly after the capture of Segura in August 2024, Morfín was required to ensure total control of the Miguel Alemán plaza due to threats of other groups attempting to seize the opportunity and gain control. As such, he designated his lieutenant La Galleta for matters of holding down all opposition to Metros rule in the city. Galleta successfully carried out this order and was rewarded with operational control in Miguel Alemán.
Conflict with the Matamoros faction[]
Rivalry with Los Escorpiones[]
Over the years, Morfín and his brother led their group in the confrontation with the Matamoros faction of the Gulf. Animosity grew between them and factional leader José Alberto García Vilano, who commanded the Los Escorpiones armed wing. Eventually this resulted in armed attacks on his part against the Morfín brothers and their affiliates, and they began re-enforcing to protect themselves against further offensives. Part of this defense involved them supporting and financing the Zetas Vieja Escuela in San Fernando against Los Escorpiones, and provided technical and logistical backup to the people of Carlos Roel Collazo Rodríguez, Felipe de Jesús Alonso Olmedo and Pablo Misael Ramos Lara to confront García Vilano's forces.
Rivalry with the original Metros[]
The "old" Metros threaten and criticize Álvaro Noé and César Morfín Morfín, July 2023.
After the Morfín brothers went out on their own, the old Metros group was split in two, among those who supported César and Álvaro, and those who remained loyal to the original leaders, including Eduardo Flores Borrego, the brother and successor of Metro 3. This conflict was evidenced on July 5, 2023, when the self-denominated "old Metros" criticized the Reynosa faction in a banner placed in several public spaces in the city, with accusations including "[biting] the hand that fed you" lobbied against the Morfín brothers. Álvaro and César were also charged with "betraying all of Reynosa and Miguel Alemán" and were assured that retribution would come for them in haste.
Conflict with the Northeast Cartel[]
Threatened in Mexico City[]
The Morfín brothers are accused of being "genocidal murderers" by the Northeast Cartel, March 2023.
To compound the complications with the Northeast Cartel and their organization, the Morfín brothers were publicly accused on March 25, 2023 by their rivals of partaking in many kidnappings and other immoral activities in their territories. In a propaganda banner that was hung at El Ángel monument in downtown Mexico City by Northeast hitmen which read "From the towns of Díaz Ordaz to Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas, we hold accountable the criminal and genocidal Cesar Morfín Morfín aka El Primito, head of Los Metros, a criminal group in the area, along with his brother Álvaro Morfín Morfín, aka El R8, guilty of causing those people to go missing. We demand a more secure [safe] Tamaulipeca society, on account of the fact that we’ve had this problem for over 10 years now. Our children, including our grandchildren, don't know the peace of a society with a good rule of law. Since the law in these towns has a name and surname and his name is Cesar Morfín Morfín."
Confrontation in Doctor Coss[]
On February 27, 2024, a violent confrontation between the Gulf and Northeast Cartels spilt out onto the streets of Doctor Coss, Nuevo León. The shootout and car chase ended with four casualties, numerous vehicles being torched and public and residential buildings and houses being vandalized by hitmen. The municipal presidency building was adorned with messages that attributed the chaos to important Northeast integrants and threatened the local public authorities. A week later, on March 5, a video communiqué was broadcast by the Northeast Cartel where they disassociated themselves from the violent acts in Doctor Coss, attributing the totality of the responsibility for the day's actions to Morfín, his brother and superior César and Camargo plaza boss Homero Luis García Carrasco.