The head of a powerful Mexican cartel, José Antonio Yépez, who specializes in fuel trafficking, was captured Sunday by Mexican military forces, a government source has learned.
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Nicknamed " El Marro " in Mexico, Yépez, boss of the powerful Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, was caught during a military operation in the state of Guanajuato, in the center of the country, according to the official Twitter account of the Mexican Minister in charge of Security, Alfonso Durazo.
Yépez is one of Mexico's most wanted suspected criminals. He is suspected of having created in recent years a powerful criminal group devoted primarily to drilling pipelines to divert fuel for the black market.
Durazo explained that after being arrested at dawn, Yépez was transferred to a maximum security prison located in the state of Mexico where he will be brought before a federal judge who issued the arrest warrant against him. “ For organized crime and fuel theft ”.
On July 24, José Guadalupe, alias “ El Mamey ”, who is considered to be one of Yépez's main lieutenants and the head of a cell of the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, was arrested, also in Guanajuato. In June, the authorities captured around 30 members of this cartel, including the mother and sister of " El Marro " who then released a video demanding their release.
The two women, who claimed to have been tortured, were released a few days later. Guanajuato is one of the most important industrial centers in Mexico.
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These activities, along with the presence of significant energy infrastructure, attract organizations such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel which, in addition to drug trafficking and fuel theft, engage in extortion and kidnapping. The two competing groups are engaged in a bloody conflict that makes Guanajuato one of the most violent states in Mexico.