A man police say is the lead hitman for Guanajuato’s Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has been arrested on multiple homicide charges, authorities announced Wednesday. 

The alleged sicario, a 29-year-old man known as “El Chinola,” was arrested in Celaya and is suspected in the murder of police officers as well as a mass killing at a Celaya vehicle emissions testing facility on July 10 where five people were shot dead.

Known for his extremely violent character, authorities believe that apart from murder, El Chinola has been involved in other criminal activities in the region, including kidnapping and extortion.

The hitman’s arrest marks yet another blow to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, a drug trafficking, fuel theft and extortion crime ring which has been involved in a bloody turf battle with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Santa Rosa de Lima was led by José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias “El Marro,” who was arrested on August 2.

On July 24, José Guadalupe, alias “El Mamey,” a man considered to be one of Yépez’s main lieutenants, was taken into custody. 

With more than 1,900 murders between January and May, Guanajuato is the most violent state in Mexico, and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel has much to do with the violence since El Marro took control of the cartel in 2017. More than 10,000 people have been murdered in the last three years, and the majority of the killings are believed to be linked to organized crime. 

With El Chinola’s arrest the cartel further unravels, but whether its disintegration will staunch the violence in Guanajuato remains to be seen.

Source: Milenio (sp)