The clock struck 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, January 25, when bullets interrupted a soccer match being played on a field in Salamanca, Guanajuato. Eleven people lost their lives that afternoon, and investigations quickly began to point to a long-standing security problem in the state: the conflict between the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Reports from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) indicated that five of the victims were part of a security company linked to the criminal organization headed by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, leading to speculation that the attackers belonged to the rival criminal group known as La Marriza.
The multiple homicide, which sparked national outrage, not only exposed once again the conflict between the two organizations for territorial control and control of various criminal economies in the state, but also revealed a shift in the structure of the cartel that was once led by José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, El Marro.
The fall of El Marro and the succession of leadership
According to various journalistic reports, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel originated in 2015. Since its inception, its most notorious leader was José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, whose extensive criminal career propelled his alias, El Marro, to prominence in the Mexican underworld.
Unlike other criminal organizations that have operated in Mexico, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is characterized by making fuel theft from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipelines one of its most profitable activities. The operational level they reached between 2017 and 2018 made El Marro and his henchmen one of the main enemies of the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who came to the presidency with the promise of combating this type of fuel theft, also known as “huachicol.”
Amidst threats against the former president and multiple operations that were part of the so-called “Golpe de Timón” (Rudder Blow) operation, in the early hours of August 2, 2020, federal and state forces managed to arrest José Antonio Yépez Ortiz at a ranch located in Juventino Rosas, Guanajuato.
El Marro’s downfall was presented with great fanfare; for a moment, it was thought that his arrest would be an important step towards pacifying Guanajuato. They were wrong. While the leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel was being processed at Federal Social Readaptation Center (CEFERESO) No. 1, the survival of his criminal organization fell into the hands of his family members.
This is how individuals such as Rodolfo and Karem Lizbeth Yépez Ortiz—both siblings of El Marro—as well as his cousin Juan Esteban “N,” his close friend Adán Ochoa, and even his own son, Luis Antonio Yépez, El Monedas, came onto the authorities’ radar.
Although it isn’t ruled out that some members of José Antonio Yépez Ortiz’s family continue to lead criminal operations, almost six years after El Marro’s arrest, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has undergone a restructuring whose consequences are beginning to be felt by both citizens and authorities.
The implosion of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel
According to various journalistic reports, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel originated in 2015. Since its inception, its most notorious leader was José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, whose extensive criminal career propelled his alias, El Marro, to prominence in the Mexican underworld.
Unlike other criminal organizations that have operated in Mexico, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is characterized by making fuel theft from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipelines one of its most profitable activities. The operational level they reached between 2017 and 2018 made El Marro and his henchmen one of the main enemies of the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who came to the presidency with the promise of combating this type of fuel theft, also known as “huachicol.”
Amidst threats against the former president and multiple operations that were part of the so-called “Golpe de Timón” (Rudder Blow) operation, in the early hours of August 2, 2020, federal and state forces managed to arrest José Antonio Yépez Ortiz at a ranch located in Juventino Rosas, Guanajuato.
El Marro’s downfall was presented with great fanfare; for a moment, it was thought that his arrest would be an important step towards pacifying Guanajuato. They were wrong. While the leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel was being processed at Federal Social Readaptation Center (CEFERESO) No. 1, the survival of his criminal organization fell into the hands of his family members.
This is how individuals such as Rodolfo and Karem Lizbeth Yépez Ortiz—both siblings of El Marro—as well as his cousin Juan Esteban “N,” his close friend Adán Ochoa, and even his own son, Luis Antonio Yépez, El Monedas, came onto the authorities’ radar.
Although it is not ruled out that some members of José Antonio Yépez Ortiz’s family continue to lead criminal operations, almost six years after El Marro’s arrest, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has undergone a restructuring whose consequences are beginning to be felt by both citizens and authorities.
The implosion of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.
The emergence of the so-called Marriza is no coincidence. Contrary to reports that identify it as an armed wing of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, it is actually one of the criminal cells operating under the umbrella of the criminal organization headed by El Marro.
For years, José Antonio Yépez Ortiz was considered the top leader of the criminal group, which guaranteed a vertical structure in its organizational chart. However, after his arrest, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel imploded.
“When he was captured, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel adopted a horizontal leadership structure, that is, with several leaders who act in a kind of collegiate leadership, with local bosses in several municipalities. Some of them are very closely linked to El Marro, such as, for example, the members of his immediate family, and others receive instructions from El Marro’s relatives,” explained security analyst David Saucedo in an interview with MILENIO.
The expert pointed out that, although they all operate under the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel logo, the criminal cells operate autonomously in the municipalities where they have a presence. He specified that, although they call themselves Marriza or other names such as Marros or Santorrosos—because they identify El Marro as their leader—this doesn’t necessarily mean that they adhere 100 percent to his orders.
“The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, all things considered, is more similar to the Sinaloa Cartel with several leaders and several regions under their control. That is why this confusion arises in various intelligence reports; this perspective generates doubts. They are all Marros, all of them, only they have some modifications or different names,” added security analyst David Saucedo. The security expert’s assessment aligns with the report from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), which identified Mario Eleazar Lara Belman, also known as El Negro, El Camorro, or El Gallo, as the leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel cell responsible for the recent massacre at the soccer field in Salamanca.
The authorities’ report also links the criminal leader to crimes such as drug trafficking, homicide, kidnapping, forced disappearance of persons, and extortion. He is also identified as a key figure in generating violence in municipalities such as Irapuato, Salamanca, and Celaya, areas that are currently crucial to understanding the criminal dynamics of Guanajuato.
The conflict with the CJNG
Although the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel now has a horizontal structure, the criminal cells that resulted from its implosion continue to share the same enemy: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The fierce dispute between the two criminal organizations has left in its wake countless violent episodes, including massacres. However, in the last six months, their conflict has entered a new phase as a result of the strengthening of one of the cells aligned with the criminal legacy of “El Marro.”
“The faction that is there in Salamanca is one of the most aggressive and the one that has the support of the Sinaloa Cartel; it is expanding. These are the ones who were previously in Celaya and are now trying to recover the territories they once controlled and which the Jalisco Cartel seized from them. This has been going on for at least six months in the municipality of Salamanca and has resulted in kidnappings, massacres like the ones we saw over the weekend, and the planting of bombs at the refinery gates…,” security analyst David Saucedo shared in an interview with MILENIO.
Despite José Antonio Yépez Ortiz’s attempts to maintain his organization’s criminal power, his arrest impacted the criminal landscape of Guanajuato, as it was exploited by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to advance its territorial control in the state, territories that the “Marro” faction is now trying to reclaim.
To achieve this, according to information obtained by David Saucedo, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has the support of Los Mayos of the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as a faction of the Gulf Cartel and Colombian mercenaries.
Although the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel now has a horizontal structure, the criminal cells that resulted from its implosion continue to share the same enemy: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The fierce dispute between the two criminal organizations has left in its wake countless violent episodes, including several massacres. However, in the last six months, their conflict has entered a new phase as a result of the strengthening of one of the cells aligned with the criminal legacy of “El Marro.”
“The faction that is there in Salamanca is one of the most aggressive and the one that has the backing of the Sinaloa Cartel; it’s expanding. They are the ones who were previously in Celaya and are now trying to recover the territories they once controlled and which the Jalisco Cartel took from them. This has been going on for at least six months in the municipality of Salamanca and has resulted in kidnappings, massacres like the ones we saw last weekend, and the planting of bombs at the refinery gates…,” security analyst David Saucedo shared in an interview with MILENIO.
Despite José Antonio Yépez Ortiz’s attempts to maintain his organization’s criminal power, his arrest impacted the criminal landscape of Guanajuato, as it was exploited by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to advance its territorial positions in the state, which the Marro faction is now trying to recover.
To achieve this, according to information obtained by David Saucedo, the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has the support of Los Mayos of the Sinaloa Cartel, as well as a faction of the Gulf Cartel and Colombian mercenaries.
The financial and arms support that the Marro faction receives from these organizations has also revitalized the conflict in Salamanca, Celaya, and Irapuato. These three municipalities are key for both the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, as they contain crucial corridors for arms and drug trafficking, as well as a lucrative market for drug dealing.
In August 2024, José Antonio Yépez Ortiz was transferred from the so-called El Altiplano maximum-security prison to CEFERESO No. 14 in Durango due to the persistent possibility that he was continuing to operate from behind bars. Despite this, his criminal legacy has proliferated in Guanajuato and, along with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, remains the source of the violence plaguing the state.
Source: Milenio
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