Story By: Juan Fenandez Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
The suspected leader of a Mexican cartel dedicated to stealing oil only had a short time as the boss after it was revealed he has now been arrested less than three months after cops seized his predecessor.
Suspected Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel leader Adan was arrested by state and federal police in the Mexican city of Celaya in the state of Guanajuato yesterday (Wednesday) night.
Last year, newly installed president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador established wide-ranging reforms to tackle criminals engaged in fuel theft.
The criminals have been blamed for explosions in crucial pipelines which in some cases have even caused fuel shortages in the country.
The week before the announcement, 80 people had died because of a pipeline explosion in the state of Hidalgo.
Mexico is a major producer of gasoline and crude oil, and the huachicoleros which is the Mexican term for the fuel thieves mainly target the oil supply lines to resell it on the black market.
The funds are then used to help fuel other criminal activities, in this case for example drug smuggling and trafficking.
The Santa Rosa de Lima cartel makes most of its money from oil theft by tapping into pipelines, but has also participated in some drug trafficking and extortion.
The news was made public by Guanajuato Mayor Diego Sinhue Rodriguez Vallejo who made a statement breaking the news.
He said: “I want to inform you that Adan “N” alias “El Azul” (The Blue) has been captured, who acted as the suspected leader of a delinquent group that operates in the Laja-Bajio region.”
However, no further details have been given on the circumstances surrounding the arrest.
Adan’s nickname ‘The Blue’ refers to the colour of the drug that the criminal organization also sells in addition to their oil stealing activities, according to local press.
His arrest comes under three months after former the cartel’s former leader Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz alias “El Marro” was arrested by authorities on 2nd August.
Despite the boss’ arrest, violence has escalated in the state as a bloody turf wars against rivals ‘New Generation Jalisco Cartel’ have raged on, terrorising locals with reports of daily violent deaths across the state.
There have been reports of the crime group engaging in sophisticated operations including blockading roads, making it difficult for authorities to reach where they are stealing oil from.
The State Attorney’s General Office from Guanajuato also issued a statement saying they “captured” Adan and calling him the “leader of a criminal group” but again gave no more details.
There have been no further reports.
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