Seven of 10 suspected members of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel arrested in San Miguel de Allende last week were high-priority targets, according to state attorney general Carlos Zamarripa Aguirre.
“They are priority targets in the dismantling of a dangerous criminal group that maintained operations primarily in San Miguel de Allende [and neighboring communities],” he said.
The men were arrested in connection with a number of recent crimes, including an attack on a funeral procession in early October, which left two dead and five injured.
They are also accused of at least two other murders in San Miguel in late September and early October, and are believed to have been behind a July 7 shooting at a taco stand that killed a couple and a young girl.
The arrests bring the total of high-priority detentions to 90 as a result of a coordinated operation against the cartel that began in March, Zamarripa said.
“We’ve been getting results, maybe not the ones we wanted, but in numbers, we have. We have arrested over 90 people from this group who were priority targets.”
Zamarripa announced in a press release the formation of a special task force to deal with armed attacks, extortion and high-impact homicides in the region.
In a meeting with local businesses in the tourism industry, he attempted to allay fears about insecurity in the city, one of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations. He assured businesspeople that all levels of government will coordinate to maintain security in and around San Miguel.
According to state security official Sophia Huett López, authorities are closing in on Antonio “El Marro” Yépez Ortiz, leader of the Santa Maria de Lima Cartel.
Federal Security Secretary Alfonso Durazo was optimistic back in March, when he said the cartel boss would be captured “soon.”
Sources: Uno TV (sp), El Universal (sp)
