Mexican drug lord 'El Marro' is captured after years on the run as country's security forces parade the cuffed cartel boss on TV
Notorious cartel leader 'El Marro' has been captured by Mexican state and federal security forces, authorities said Sunday.
El Marro, whose real name is Jose Antonio Yepez, was head of the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, which spread violence through north-central Mexico.
Yepez, believed to be 40, and the cartel had been blamed for a surge in crime in the central state of Guanajuato, a major flashpoint of gang violence.
The Santa Rosa organization has been gripped in a bloody, years-long turf war with rival Jalisco New Generation cartel.
El Marro's capture was announced by the state's attorney general's office Sunday morning.
Yepez had been the subject of massive manhunts for years, and was caught along with five other suspects allegedly holding a kidnapped businesswoman, authorities said.
An 'arsenal' of weapons was also secured during the raid.
The nickname El Marro, translated from Spanish means Sledgehammer.
Yepez is pictured in an image after he was apprehended in an unknown location
An image of Yepez's profile that was taken after he was taken into custody
Yepez was pictured later with his hood up as he was escorted by armed authorities
The armed escort is pictured twisting Yepez by the arm as he is led away
El Marro's capture was announced by the state's attorney general's office Sunday morning
Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said Yepez would be taken to the Altiplano penitentiary, a maximum-security prison where drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman was housed before he escaped through a tunnel in 2015. Guzman was recaptured in 2016.
Yepez's Santa Rosa de Lima cartel emerged from a farming hamlet of the same name in north-central Guanajuato state by stealing fuel from government pipelines and refineries and robbing freight from trains.
A hub of the carmaking industry, Guanajuato was once one of the safer regions of Mexico, but the violence of the past few years has pushed national homicide tallies to record levels.
The rival Jalisco New Generation is a far more powerful organization, and considered one of Mexico's deadliest cartels.
It is under the control of 54-year-old drugs kingpin Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed 'El Mencho', who is Mexico's most-wanted man.
Cervantes, whose nickname is a diminutive, was convicted of heroin smuggling in California and has served time in federal prison.
US Drug Enforcement Administration officials blame him and his operatives for brutal violence which has helped establish the cartel's presence in 24 out of Mexico's 32 states, the Los Angeles Times reported. US authorities are offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Yepez was put on display alongside armed authorities after the cartel leader was apprehended. The nickname El Marro, translated from Spanish means Sledgehammer
Besides the bloody turf war with Jalisco, Yepez and his organization tried to build a support network among local residents by allowing them to take a minor share in the spoils of the robberies.
But when the trains and pipelines became better-guarded, the gang allegedly turned to widespread extortion and kidnapping.
Yepez, unusual among gang leaders, has also posted videos with emotional calls to his followers, including one in June showing him appearing to cry after several of his supporters and relatives were arrested.
Yepez shared a video message in June showing him fighting back tears and vowing revenge after his mother was among the relatives captured.
MarÃa Ortiz was arrested during a major security operation in the city of Celeya, located in Guanajuato.
Yepez's sister Juana Yepez and his cousin Rosalba were also arrested.
In the video, the cartel leader can be seen lashing out against the government after the raid, in which authorities found about 1 kilogram of a substance resembling methamphetamine and 2 million pesos ($88,000).
In the clip Yepez, wearing jeans with a rifle slung over his shoulder, says: 'I'm going to be a stone in your shoe. I'm going to blow up, you will see.
The women, who were suspected of aiding his operations, were later released when judges picked apart the case against them.
Yepez's mother MarÃa Ortiz (pictured) was arrested during a major security operation in the city of Celeya, located in Guanajuato
A picture of a car set fire by gangs in Celeya following a major security operation that yielded several arrests, including Yepez's mother
In a separate video on June 21, he accused Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of aiding Jalisco. 'They come with the only interest of backing those sons of b******.'
The following day, López Obrador countered by advising residents not to align themselves with El Marro and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.
'Don't get involved in that,' López Obrador said. 'There is a way to have income with supports that are being channelled. Don't get into protecting criminals.'
The capture of Yepez should deliver a boost to Lopez Obrador, who pledged to bring down record levels of violence plaguing the country when he took office in December 2018. Instead, homicides have further increased during his presidency.
Mexican drug lord 'El Marro' is captured after years on the run as country's security forces parade the cuffed cartel boss on TV
![Mexican drug lord 'El Marro' is captured after years on the run as country's security forces parade the cuffed cartel boss on TV]()
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August 03, 2020
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