| Efraín Hernández Ramírez | |
| Nationality: | Colombian |
| Birth Date: | 1946 |
| Birth Place: | Providencia Island, Colombia |
| Death Place: | Bogotá, Colombia |
| Cause: | Gunshot wounds |
| Alias: | Don Efra (Mr. Efra) |
| Conviction Status: | Deceased |
| Spouse: | Luz Meida Conde Yolanda Guerrero Sandra Murcia Marcela Serrano |
| Children: | 3 |
Efraín Antonio Hernández Ramírez (1946-7 November 1998) also known by the nickname 'Don Efra', was a Colombian drug trafficker who was one of the leaders of the notorious Norte del Valle Cartel along with his brothers and associates like José Orlando Henao Montoya. Considered the second most important member of the Cartel and the main money launderer for the Cartel since he owned several legal front businesses.
Born on Providencia Island, Colombia, Hernández joined the National Police and later worked as a warehouse distributor of Colpuertos Company, knowledge that he applied to drug trafficking, which is why he was also nicknamed 'The Man of the Seas'.[1]
Working early on with José Orlando Henao, the two created the Norte del Valle Cartel. He dedicated himself to laundering drug profits in front businesses and various real estate properties through front men. Hernández was a compulsive buyer, taking advantage of his enormous fortune. After the persecution of drug traffickers, partly as a consequence of Process 8000, Hernández moved to Bogotá where he owned shares in real estate companies, shopping malls, hotels and car dealerships.[2] [3] [4] [5]
Hernández had a trusted employee named Fernando Cifuentes. With him he managed to do several business deals, however, Cifuentes contracted a debt of 10 million dollars with Hernández, which increased to 20 million dollars. Over time, Hernández treated Cifuentes brutally, making him the victim of physical abuse and public humiliation in front of his partners. A shipment of cocaine fell under mysterious circumstances, in addition to the arrest of his ex-wife Sandra Murcia in Paris with several kilos of cocaine in her luggage, caused Hernandez to begin negotiating with the DEA for his surrender, through Julio Correa 'Julio Fierro', a low-level drug trafficker, formerly a member of Los Pepes. Henao would soon find out, so he began to draw up a plan to kill him. Henao took advantage of the physical abuse that Hernandez inflicted on Cifuentes, so Henao secretly talked to Cifuentes to earn the respect of his boss. On November 7, 1996, Hernández was killed by Cifuentes on the secret orders of Henao, in an office in the Hacienda Santa Bárbara shopping mall. Along with Hernández, another employee named Alfredo Haddad Salúan, who laundered money for the Cartel with Hernández, was also killed. Germán Wessler Khlar, another employee of Hernández, although seriously wounded, faked his death until Cifuentes left the office. Wessler, accompanied by a female guard, managed to save important documents, and contacted a doctor at the Santa Fe clinic, located in front of the mall, where he received immediate medical attention. Wessler also contacted the leaders of the Cartel to tell them what happened and to ask them to retaliate against Cifuentes. The official police version stated that Hernandez had been killed by a squad of hitmen.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Henao recommended that Cifuentes hide in a warehouse north of Bogotá, Cifuentes unaware that Henao planned to betray him not only in order to apparently avenge his partner, but also to punish Cifuentes for doing the job badly and thus not leave any loose ends. Cifuentes was finally killed by Wilber Varela, on the orders of his boss Henao, thereby establishing Henao as the sole leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel.[12] [13] [14]