Mexican police arrest the leader of one of the bloodiest cartels in the country, called Kūju

Federal and state security officials arrested J. A. Yepez Ortiz in the central state of Guanajuato, according to a joint press release from that state and the Mexican Ministry of Public Security.

During the operation, five more people were detained and the kidnapped businesswoman was rescued.

Mexico’s Security Minister Alfons Duraz wrote on Twitter that Yepez Ortiz had been arrested for organized crime and large-scale fuel theft.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said in a video posted on his Twitter account: “The Ministry of National Security, with the help of local authorities, has arrested very dangerous people. We need to address the root causes of crime and violence. We say no to corruption and impunity. “

López Obrador has been criticized for not fighting organized crime. The president had previously tried to promote the “hugs, no bullets” (“hugs, no bullets”) strategy.

Last October, police briefly arrested Ovidio Guzmán, the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín Guzmán, nicknamed El Chapo. He was released a few hours later when the cartel’s bandits took several policemen hostage and paralyzed traffic in Kuljakan.

In March, López Obrador received much criticism for shaking hands with El Chapo’s mother during a coronavirus crisis and restrictions during a visit to Sinaloa.

With the increase in crime in Guanajuato as a cartel, the Mexican police have been searching for Mr. Yépez Ortiz for several months, monitoring his family and friends.

The Santa Rosa de Lima cartel is primarily a treasure of extortion and fuel theft. As this cartel began to compete with the new generation cartel in Chalis, there was an increase in dangerous and brutal attacks.

About 10 people are killed in the state of Guanajuato every day. According to official figures, at least 1,691 people were killed in the first half of this year. This state is the most dangerous of all the Mexican states.