U.S. Sanctions Guanajuato Fuel-Theft Cartel, Targets “El Marro”

The U.S. Treasury’s OFAC sanctioned the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima and leader José Antonio Yépez Ortiz (“El Marro”) for orchestrating a major fuel-theft enterprise in Guanajuato, Mexico, involving Pemex insider bribery, illegal pipeline taps, refinery theft, and tanker hijackings. The stolen hydrocarbons are smuggled into the U.S., mislabeled (e.g., as waste oil), and sold at steep discounts, with proceeds funneled back to Mexico; the cartel’s turf war with CJNG has escalated violence and harmed legitimate energy markets and Mexican government revenues.