Who is Carlos Luis Revete, alias “Koki”, the leader of the criminal gang which terrorizes Caracas and which Chavismo cannot control

Violence and armed clashes in Caracas, which have escalated over the past 48 hours, has killed eight so far -two of them policemen-. Thursday, criminal gangs confronting security forces attacked the headquarters of the General Command of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) at El Paraiso, in the Venezuelan capital.

The attack was carried out by the gang led by Carlos Luis Revete, alias “Koki”, for whom the Chavist authorities offer a half a million dollar reward, as well as by Garbis Ochoa Ruíz, alias “El Galvis”, and by Carlos Calderón Martínez, alias “El Vampi”.

Although he has been indicted since 2013 for crimes such as theft, homicide and drug trafficking, Revete enjoys great impunity. The non-aggression pact he concluded with the Venezuelan authorities demonstrates the almost total abdication of the state in slums controlled by mega gangs.

Revete was born in 1978 and raised in the popular neighborhoods of Caracas. Little is known of his life until 2013, when was charged with the murder of Greiber Danilo Alonso Lucas in the “Los Alpes” sector of Cota 905. It is believed that at this time, Revete belonged to a street gang known as “Los Chiches”, And that he killed Alonso Lucas in response to a photo that appeared on the latter’s social networks, in which he posed with an enemy of the gang.

Cota 905 is one of the most violent areas in Caracas, and there are several urban gangs. For years, the sector has been subjected to police violence and arbitrariness, resulting in a deep antipathy of the inhabitants of the area towards security organizations. In this context, gangs have acquired social power as de facto authorities in the community.

Revete rose to prominence as the gang leader’s lieutenant, Jesús Alberto Ramos Caldero, alias “El Chavo”, who set out in 2014 to unite the Caracas gangs against the police. This initiative has contributed to the emergence of a new criminal structure in Venezuela: the “megabandas”, each of which is made up of over 50 members, are more organized and better armed than traditional street gangs and mimic the hierarchical structure of Venezuela’s prison gangs. When Ramos was assassinated by the Scientific, Criminal and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC) in January 2015, Revet took over the leadership of his new mega-gang at Cota 905. Revet continued Ramos’ unification project, and some sources attribute to him the union of the Cota 905 gangs: El Cementerio and El Valle.

In January 2015, Cota 905 was included in the Maduro government’s “Zones of Peace” program., whereby the authorities ceded territorial control to criminal organizations, in exchange for reducing violence. This truce was broken in July of the same year with the start of Operation People’s Liberation (PLO), proposed by Maduro, which consisted of a strong repression that marked the return of police violence and human rights violations. had occurred in the past. The PLO’s first raid on Cota 905 left 15 people dead, only six of whom had criminal records. Revete was not among them, having taken refuge in a prison hours before the raid. He continued to evade capture throughout the operation, fueling the suspicion that the real target of the operation was Revete’s rivals.

In August 2017, then president (and current vice-president) of the National Constituent Assembly, Delcy Rodriguez, went to Cota 905. Residents of the area are said to have called on the authorities to reinstate the Zones of Peace program and to prohibit the entry of the police into the neighborhood. However, the sources of InSight Crime They revealed that the delegation also met Revete during the visit, and it is believed that they made a pact with the criminal boss. After that, The zone of peace program in the area was reactivated and the security forces withdrew.

Cota 905’s state abandonment turned the area into a criminal enclave, where mega-gangs roamed freely. Although the “pax mafiosa” between gangs and security forces may have reduced violence, it has also enabled gangs like Revete’s to accumulate heavy weapons and consolidate their criminal economies. In 2016, Revete’s gang numbered between 70 and 120 members, who used Cota 905 as a base of operations for extortion, kidnapping and vehicle theft. Although including allied gangs, it can number up to 180 men.

In the Cota 905 peace zone, Revete enjoys almost total impunity, which was massively demonstrated with a video that circulated on social networks, in which we see him openly participating in a block party. Even more alarmingly, such a program seems to enable mega-gangs to reach ever higher levels of integration and organization. Security reports indicate that in mid-2019, Revete was working with his fellow gang member, Carlos Alfredo Calderón Martínez, alias “El Vampi”, in the direction of a mega-gang of some 180 members, whose criminal empire extends beyond Caracas. Throughout 2019, there have been new signs that El Koki feels safe from harm. In June 2019, the criminal was present at the pompous funeral, in honor of one of the members of his band, whose ceremony was presided over by Alex de Castro, famous salsa singer and Puerto Rican pastor.

In July, members of the El Koki gang attacked CICPC agents in Cota 905. Soon after, officers were ordered to leave the area, a situation that became common when the El Koki gang was hit. Basically, police are prohibited from entering gang-controlled areas.

At the end of December 2020 and the beginning of January 2021, the members of the group led by Revete took over areas of the La Vega district, a popular district of Caracas, which, although very close to Cota 905, had not been occupied by the group. criminal.

The gang’s action generated that on January 6, police officers from the Maduro regime, mainly the FAES, They will enter the neighborhood in search of Revete’s allies.. The operation lasted until Saturday January 9 and unofficially killed 23 people. Human rights defenders denounced the event as the highest-numbered police massacre that took place in the country.

Although most of the victims were not identified by their relatives, InSight Crime managed to confirm that El Koki was not among those killed.

The El Koki gang had almost weekly clashes until April 2021 with rival gangs and with security forces in areas surrounding Cota 905. These clashes, in addition to the presence of several gang members in Valles del Tuy, reveal that El Koki appears to be moving forward with their expansion plans.

Criminal activities

Revete is wanted on a number of charges including robbery, manslaughter and drug trafficking. His gang controls criminal activity throughout the Cota 905 area, primarily drug trafficking and vehicle theft, although he is also involved in kidnapping and extortion plans.

The gang is known to have violently murdered its criminal opponents, as evidenced by the massacre of seven members of a rival gang in February 2019.

Police sources consulted by InSight Crimethey said on condition of anonymity that Revete uses as a refuge from other peace zones in Los Valles del Tuy, Miranda state.

Geography

Cota 905, the territory of Revete, is a populated area on the southwestern slopes of Caracas. It is part of a gang stronghold, which includes the El Cementerio and El Valle sectors. Revete’s alliances with other gangs in the area indicate that she exercises control over much of this area. It is believed that he is currently cooperating with Carlos Alfredo Calderón Martínez, alias “El Vampi”, and Garbis Ochoa Ruiz, alias “El Garbis”, which gives this criminal federation control of a territory of about 20 square kilometers southwest of Caracas.

Allies and enemies

Although he is one of the most wanted criminals in Venezuela, Revete seems to have reached an agreement with the Maduro administration, which allows him to operate with almost total impunity. In addition, he has shown himself ready to violently defend this pact when necessary. In February 2019, his gang murdered seven members of a smaller group led by Elvis Eduardo Castro Troya, aka “El Culón”. It is believed that this massacre was in retaliation for the murder of two soldiers by the gang of Castro Troya, which violated the terms of the “pax mafiosa” between the gangs of western Caracas and the Venezuelan state.

Revete is also ready to work with other gang leaders to expand his criminal empire. Government intelligence reports in 2019 indicate that it formed an alliance with Carlos Alfredo Calderón Martínez, alias “El Vampi”, and Garbis Ochoa Ruiz, alias “El Garbis”, to form an even larger gang of around 180 members.

Perspectives

Revete’s consistent strategy of evading capture while continually expanding the criminal activities of his gang demonstrates his ability to exploit the conflicting initiatives of the Maduro administration for his own ends.. She has proven to be clever enough to strike deals with both the authorities and rival gangs to consolidate territorial control and ensure her impunity. Since 2017, the police withdrawal from the Cota 905 has allowed Revete to build up an arsenal of large caliber weapons, estimated at around 200 grenades, 15 AR-15 rifles, and 150 smaller firearms. This way his gang has almost the same firepower as the security forces.

Through strategic alliances with other gang leaders, Revet appears poised to further expand his criminal empire. Revete is linked to illegal mining operations, allegedly controlled by Calderón Martínez in the states of Carabobo and Bolívar, indicating that this Caracas mega-gang may even expand its influence to other parts of Venezuela.

The Koki is also protected by widespread sympathy and loyalty among the residents of Cota 905, who view him as a benefactor.

(Article written by InSight Crime)

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