Another relative of José Antonio “El Marro” Yépez Ortiz, presumed leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima fuel theft and extortion cartel, has been arrested as authorities attempt to disassemble the gang’s power structure.

His niece, Denise Yépez Pérez, was brought in on weapons charges in Apaseo el Alto on Tuesday.

National Guard troops detained Yépez, 22, and another woman of the same age identified as María Fernanda Mejía after neighbors called 911 to report the presence of armed civilians in the area.

The soldiers saw two armed men on the street upon arriving and followed them to a nearby house. The men reportedly escaped, but Yépez and Mejía were found with a cache of high-caliber weapons.

The two young women were aboard a red Hyundai SUV without plates that had been reported stolen in Celaya in November 2019. Upon seeing the National Guard troops, they threw down the rifles they were holding and submitted to arrest.

Among the weapons in the arsenal were three AK-47 and three AR-15 assault rifles, among other guns, as well as various rounds of ammunition and bulletproof vests.

With many of his relatives being arrested or killed recently, it has appeared as though the walls were closing in on El Marro.

His wife Karina Mora was arrested on weapons charges in Celaya on January 29, but she was released just over a week later after a judge ruled that her arrest had been unlawful.

Source: Grupo Fórmula (sp)