The smoke from burning tires smells different when it’s mixed with the scent of diesel. In Guanajuato, that smell became the unofficial perfume of a region for years. Most people looking at Mexico's security crisis focus on the giants—the CJNG or the remnants of the Sinaloa Cartel—but those "corporate" syndicates aren't the ones who truly broke the peace in Mexico's industrial corridor. That distinction belongs to a homegrown, localized, and incredibly violent group: the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.
They didn't start with cocaine. They started with a hose and a hole in the ground.
While the big players were busy shipping fentanyl or managing global logistics, the CSRL (Cártel de Santa Rosa de Lima) was basically drilling into the veins of the Mexican economy. They are the "huachicoleros." Fuel thieves. They turned the theft of petroleum from PEMEX pipelines into a multi-million dollar industry that funded a local insurgency. It’s a messy, bloody story that proves you don't need a global reach to bring a state to its knees.
The Rise of El Marro and the Cult of the Local
The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel didn't come out of nowhere, but it felt like it. Named after a small town in the municipality of Villagrán, the group was forged in the shadows of the Salamanca refinery. By 2017, they weren't just a gang; they were a social phenomenon. Their leader, José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, better known as "El Marro" (The Sledgehammer), understood something the distant federal government didn't: if you share the spoils, the people will shield you.
It was classic Robin Hood stuff, but with a lot more assault rifles.
When the military would roll into Santa Rosa de Lima, they wouldn't just face gunmen. They faced "social buffers." Hundreds of women and children would block the roads, set cars on fire, and scream at soldiers. Why? Because El Marro paid the bills. He wasn't some distant billionaire in a Culiacán mansion. He was a local guy who made sure the neighbors had cash, provided they kept the police away from the illegal taps.
This local loyalty is what made the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel so hard to uproot. Honestly, the government underestimated how much a community would tolerate if the alternative was just more poverty. The CSRL built a business model based on huachicol (fuel theft) that was so lucrative it rivaled drug trafficking. At its peak, it was estimated that the Mexican government was losing over $3 billion a year to fuel theft. A huge chunk of that was flowing directly into the CSRL’s pockets.
A War of Two Worlds: CSRL vs. CJNG
If you want to understand why Guanajuato—a place famous for its beautiful colonial architecture and booming car factories—became the most violent state in Mexico, you have to look at the "Limpieza."
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Around 2017, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) decided they wanted in on the fuel business. They sent a message. It wasn't a polite one. They moved into Guanajuato with the intention of wiping the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel off the map. This sparked a conflict that was less about territory and more about total annihilation.
The two groups couldn't be more different.
The CJNG is a paramilitary machine. They have armored vehicles, drones with explosives, and a seemingly infinite supply of money and soldiers. The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel was the scrappy, local underdog that knew every backroad and drainage ditch in the state. They used that home-turf advantage to fight a guerilla war. It turned cities like Celaya, Irapuato, and León into battlegrounds.
You've probably seen the videos. The grainy footage of gunmen storming pool halls or funerals. Most of that horror stems from this specific rivalry. The CSRL would kill anyone suspected of helping "the men from Jalisco," and the CJNG would respond with even greater brutality. It’s a cycle that hasn't really stopped, even after the leadership changed.
The Myth of the "Sledgehammer" Fall
In August 2020, the Mexican government finally got their win. They captured El Marro in a daring midnight raid. The footage was everywhere—the most wanted man in Mexico, looking tired in a gray sweatshirt, being led away by soldiers.
The government celebrated. They basically declared the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel dead.
They were wrong.
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History shows us that when you cut off the head of a localized cartel, you don't kill the body; you just make it twitch more violently. The CSRL didn't vanish. They fragmented. El Marro’s sister, Karem Lizbeth Yépez Ortiz, allegedly took a larger role. New leaders like "El Azul" stepped up, though many were eventually caught or killed too.
The problem is that the structure of the crime stayed the same. The pipelines are still there. The demand for cheap, stolen fuel is still there. And most importantly, the hatred for the CJNG is still there. The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel transitioned from a monolithic organization into a series of highly aggressive cells. They became harder to track because they stopped acting like a "cartel" and started acting like a franchise of local insurgents.
Beyond Fuel: The Diversification of Terror
As the government tightened security around the pipelines, the CSRL had to find new ways to make payroll. This is when things got really ugly for the average citizen in Guanajuato.
- Extortion (Cobro de Piso): They started hitting small businesses. Tortilla shops, car dealerships, and even taco stands. If you didn't pay, they burned your business down.
- Cargo Theft: The Bajío region is the heart of Mexico’s logistics. The CSRL began hijacking trucks carrying everything from electronics to sneakers.
- Drug Retail: They shifted into the local "narcomenudeo" market, fighting the CJNG for every street corner where meth was sold.
This diversification meant that even if the "huachicol" was down, the violence stayed up. It's a grim reality. People often ask why the police don't just "stop them." But in many of these small towns, the line between the police and the cartel is basically invisible. Local cops are often paid by the CSRL to look the other way—or worse, to act as lookouts (halcones).
The Human Cost and the "Guanajuato Paradox"
There is a weird tension in Guanajuato. On one hand, you have massive investments from companies like Toyota, Honda, and Mazda. The state's GDP is actually doing okay. On the other hand, you have the highest murder rate in the country.
This is the "Guanajuato Paradox."
The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel thrives in the gaps of this development. While the factories bring in middle-class jobs, there is a whole underclass that feels left behind. These are the people the CSRL recruits. Young men who see the cartel lifestyle as the only way to get ahead in a system that feels rigged against them.
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David Saucedo, a prominent security analyst in Mexico, has often pointed out that the CSRL survives because it is a "social cartel." Their roots in the community are deeper than the government's. When the CJNG comes in, they are seen as foreign invaders. The CSRL, for all their violence, are seen as "our" criminals. It's a twisted sense of loyalty, but it's real. It's the reason why, years after El Marro's arrest, the group's flag—a blue and yellow banner with two hammers—is still spray-painted on walls across the state.
What Actually Happens Next?
If you’re looking for a clean ending to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel story, you won't find one. This isn't a movie where the villain goes to jail and the credits roll.
The group is currently in a state of "permanent resistance." They are smaller, yes. They are less wealthy than they were in 2018, definitely. But they are also more desperate. A desperate cartel is often more dangerous to the public than a stable one. They are currently involved in a brutal "war of positions" against the CJNG, using hit-and-run tactics that keep the state in a constant state of anxiety.
The Mexican government's strategy of "Hugs, not Bullets" (Abrazos, no Balazos) has been heavily criticized here. Critics argue it gave the CSRL time to regroup. Supporters say it addresses the root causes. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, but for the people living in Celaya or Villagrán, policy debates don't matter much when there’s a gunfight outside the grocery store.
Practical Insights for Understanding the Conflict
To really grasp what's happening with the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel right now, you have to look past the headlines.
- Watch the Fuel Prices: When the price of gas goes up, the incentive for huachicol increases. The CSRL's power is directly tied to the energy market.
- Follow the Fragmentations: The biggest threat in Guanajuato now isn't one big cartel, but "micro-cartels." These are break-away cells of the CSRL that don't follow any rules and are highly unpredictable.
- The Role of Women: In the CSRL, women have played a massive role in logistics and social defense. This isn't just a "macho" organization; it's a family-based network.
- The "Jalisco" Factor: As long as the CJNG tries to take Guanajuato, the remnants of the CSRL will find support from anyone who hates the New Generation. This includes potential alliances with the Sinaloa Cartel, who are happy to fund anyone who fights their rivals.
The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel is a cautionary tale. It shows how a local gang can exploit a specific economic niche—fuel theft—to build a criminal empire that can withstand the full might of the state. It's a reminder that geography and community ties often matter more than firepower.
As of 2026, the situation remains volatile. The pipelines are still being tapped. The extortion continues. And the ghost of El Marro still looms over the state, proving that while you can imprison a man, uprooting a culture of illegality that he helped build is a much, much harder task.
How to Stay Informed on Mexico’s Security Dynamics:
- Monitor Local News: Outlets like Periódico AM or Zona Franca provide much better granular detail on Guanajuato than international news wires.
- Check the SESNSP Data: The Mexican Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System releases monthly homicide data that tracks the "heat" in the CSRL’s territory.
- Analyze Infrastructure Vulnerability: Follow reports on PEMEX pipeline integrity. The "Red de Ductos" is the map that dictates where the next conflict will likely ignite.