This morning, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo took to Twitter to announce federal and state authorities arrested José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, better known as “El Marro.”
“El Marro” is the leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, a criminal organization that operates in Guanajuato.
Durazo said the army, navy, National Guard, and Guanajuato authorities participated in the arrest.
Federal and state authorities arrested “El Marro” in Apaseo El Alto, Guanajuato. During the operation, authorities rescued a businesswoman who had been kidnapped.
Authorities added that they had also arrested another five suspects and seized an “arsenal.”
Insiders told EL UNIVERSAL that authorities transported José Antonio Yépez to maximum security prison “El Altiplano,” also known as Almoloya.
A judge previously issued an arrest warrant against the infamous cartel boss for organized crime and fuel theft.
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Guanajuato Governor Diego Sinhue also confirmed the news through social media.
Guanajuato authorities released photographs of the suspect.
After authorities announced the arrest, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the detention was "very important” and said the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel became so powerful because state and municipal governments collaborated with the criminal organization.
El Marro threatened the President on at least two occasions.
“El Marro” has wreaked havoc in Guanajuato in recent years. Now it is one of the most violent states in the country.
"El Marro"
The infamous cartel leader gained notoriety due to his violent tactics. In recent months, he released a video threatening the federal government after authorities arrested his mother and two other relatives.
In the video, he suggested the possibility of allying with northern cartels in a bid to defeat the CJNG. He also accused the federal government of collaborating with "El Mencho."
In another video, the cartel boss boasts about killing police officers in retaliation for his mother's arrest.
“El Marro” has engaged in turf wars against “El Mencho,” the leader of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel; one of the fastest-growing drug cartels in the world, to control Guanajuato.
José Antonio Yépez Ortiz began his criminal career in 2010 when he also was in charge of leading the drug market and haulers theft.
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The rise of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel
The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel was created in 2014 and their main criminal activity was fuel theft.
According to federal authorities, the criminal organization gained notoriety when “El Marro” became the cartel boss. In 2017, it started a war against the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel to control fuel theft, drug sales, kidnapping, and extortion in the area.
The cartel was named after the Santa Rosa de Lima community where its leaders hail from.
The Santa Rosa Cartel has control over clandestine taps and illegal fuel sales in the state.
The origin of Santa Rosa de Lima cartel dates back to 2014. In the beginning, it was a fuel theft group led by David “R”, aka “El Güero,” the then-boss of “El Marro.”
According to federal authorities, the group became relevant when “El Marro” became the leader of the criminal organization and, in October 2017, declared a war against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) for the control of fuel theft in Guanajuato, as well as drug sales, kidnapping, and extortion.
According to investigations of the Federal Police, El Marro’s close circle is comprised of 14 people, including his sister, who is allegedly in charge of illegal activities in Celaya.
The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel operates in Celaya, Salamanca, Santa Cruz, Juventino Rosas, Irapuato, Valle de Santiago, and Villagrán.
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