The cartel of Santa Rosa de Lima just before and after the fall 'El Marro'

Chivis Martinez Borderland Beat   TY Gus

Note: On March 3, 2019, the Governor of Guanajuato announced the operation "Golpe de Timón". The strategy which promised the prompt capture of José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, El Marro and, to end the theft of fuel in the entity.  516 days later. Time in which El Marro was captured. State and federal authorities say they "constantly" had been following him right on his heels. The huachicolero was lucky. On 5 occasions he escaped from the police forces when they "almost" had him. Prior to the capture, the Financial Intelligence Unit blocked  the accounts of 11 people related to the legal defense of' 'El Marro'.

In an operation of no more than 15 minutes, El Marro was apprehended by state and federal authorities.  The capture was recorded early this Sunday morning, around 4:00. On a ranch in Juventino Rosas. El Marro and his assassins tried to defend themselves. They returned light, sporadic fire.

The criminals were already alerted. A government drone was flying overhead, and the halcones, the safety net that had been most effective for Yépez Ortíz, were slow to react. Specialized elements had the ranch surrounded. El Marro was there, and he had nowhere to run.

The photographs of his face, which have already traveled around the world, show a distressed and weeping-eyed criminal. Weakened face, of what was a dangerous criminal. Subjected to the ground, El Marro had no choice but to answer the agents' questions. He identified himself as a 40-year-old man, the son of Rodolfo Yépez and María Ortíz.

The Governor of Guanajuato and the State Forces hunted Marro “without rest” for 516 days. This August 2 in Guanajuato, a new story begins. The authorities gave the hardest blow in recent times.

With the arrest of “El Marro”, the internal crisis that is experienced within the local organization called Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL) is further aggravated, due to the arrests of various members by authorities from the three levels of government, who have pointed out the corruption networks with municipal authorities of Villagrán, Irapuato, Tamimoro, Santa Cruz de Juventino Rosa, and Santiago Maravatio, Guanajuato.

According to various documents and analyzes of the intelligence areas of the Federal government and the Armed Forces held by Grupo Imagen, the internal crisis and the struggles between the same members, generated a rupture between "El Marro" and the Lara Belman family, who during years were the close operators of "El Marro".

The structure of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL), was made up until dawn this Sunday by the leader "El Marro" , who had in his circle close to his financial operators who respond with the name and alias of Adán alias "paiki", María Guadalupe, "Piyu" and Angélica Mora Villalobos.

While those responsible for the theft of fuel, are headed by Martín Patiño Reyes, "Bala", Eadurdo Ortiz Reyes, "Calamandro", Leonel "N" and "Mov" (So far there is no report of full names, only aliases).

Within the family circle of the leader of the CSRL, are his parents Maria Eva Ortiz and his father Rodolfo Reyes Godo are Yepez and and brothers and Rodolfo Lizbeth Karem.

The investigations conducted reveal that "El Marro" had three romantic relationships. The first with his wife Elsa Marisol Martínez Prieto with whom he had three children; the second with his romantic partner Karina Mora Villalobos with two children and the third with his lover Andrea Magdalena Cervantes Ariza, alias “La Maga”.

The criminal circle of the CSRL, is headed by José Carmen López Belman, alias “Tortugo” who is the chief of plaza in Celaya, Guanajuato, who along with his escort Ismael “N”, “Nacaro”, Noé Lara Belman, “Puma” ( second in command but reportedly already had jumped to CJNG side), Eliseo Gutiérrez Belman Titis (operational manager), El “JC”, Plaza manager in Zamora, Michoacán, Juan Elías Guzmán Escamilla, alias “El Metra”, Plaza manager in Yuriria and Salvatierra.

The CSRL sicariate structure is headed by "El Charly”, who is the distributor of narcotic drugs and by "El Balea", "Sermeño", "Cañas", "Chilango" and Mari, "La Pichona" who is in charge of informants.

The criminal organization headed by Yépez Ortiz, wove corruption networks with different municipal police corporations, who gave him information about the operations against fuel theft and arrest.

According to the documents, those who do not disclose the names of the police officers for their prompt arrest are elements of the Villagrán police: "Hull" and "Friday"; Irapuato Juan de Dios Medina Hérnandez, "Juande", "Marlon"; Tamimoro, Jorge "N", "Rosillo", "Dimas" and "Lupita" N "; while in Santa Cruz de Juventino Rosa, Linaldi “N” and Mauricio “N”, Maury ”were located and in Santiago Maravatio, JuLio“ N ”

The disputes against the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) have unleashed increasing violence in Celaya, Villagrán, Juventino Rosas, Cortázar, Irapuato, Salamanca, Salvatierra, Apaseo el Grande and Apaseo el Alto, which from January to June of this year 2,893 people were executed. According to local authorities, 91 percent of these killings are linked to the confrontation between the aforementioned criminal organizations.

Federal authorities reports indicate that "El Marro" directed the illegal extraction of hydrocarbons in the state of Guanajuato, the cartel's center of operations, with an estimate of daily extraction of 40 to 50 pipes of gasoline from the pipes of Petrolero Mexicanos, represents a profit of 1.5 million dollars a day.

In recent months, the CSRL made an alliance with La Nueva Familia Michoacán (LNFM), made up of criminals from criminal organizations Los Viagras-Templarios-Familia Michoacana to confront the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG).

The LNFM has an alliance with Erick Valencia, alias “El 85”, leader of the Millennium Cartel and nephew of Armando Valencia, a staunch enemy of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “Mencho”.

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