U.S. sanctions Mexico-based Cartel Santa Rosa de Lima and its leader
The United States has sanctioned Mexico-based Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima and its leader for large-scale fuel and oil theft, citing the group’s role in violence, corruption, and a cross-border energy black market, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The sanctions were announced Wednesday by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which designated the Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima, also known as CSRL, and its leader, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz.
Treasury officials said the organization operates primarily in the Mexican state of Guanajuato and derives the vast majority of its revenue from stealing fuel and crude oil.
Treasury said CSRL’s violent conflict with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) over control of fuel and oil theft has contributed to a surge in killings in Guanajuato, making it one of Mexico’s deadliest states.
Guanajuato is located in central Mexico and contains key oil infrastructure, including pipelines and a major refinery operated by Mexico’s state-owned energy company, Petroleos Mexicanos, according to U.S. officials.
U.S. authorities said CSRL’s fuel-theft operations have enabled a cross-border energy black market that undermines legitimate U.S. oil and natural gas companies and deprives the Mexican government of critical revenue.
Treasury said stolen fuel is sold throughout Mexico, the United States, and Central America, while stolen crude oil is smuggled into the United States and frequently mislabeled to evade taxes and regulatory oversight.
Treasury officials said fuel theft, commonly known in Mexico as huachicol, has become the most significant non-drug revenue source for Mexican cartels.
Authorities said cartels obtain fuel by bribing corrupt employees, illegally tapping pipelines, stealing from refineries, hijacking tanker trucks, and threatening energy workers, costing Mexico billions of dollars in lost revenue in recent years.
The Treasury Department also sanctioned Yepez Ortiz, known as “El Marro,” who officials described as a notorious fuel-theft trafficker. Treasury said Yepez Ortiz was arrested in Mexico in 2020 and sentenced in 2022 to 60 years in prison for kidnapping, but continues to direct CSRL activities from prison through associates.
Officials said “El Marro” still faces additional charges, including organized crime, money laundering, illegal fuel extraction, and attempted homicide.
According to Treasury, CSRL has also engaged in narcotics trafficking, including heroin smuggling into the United States, and has formed alliances with other violent criminal organizations.
Officials said the group has worked with the Gulf Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel and has recruited former Colombian military and paramilitary personnel amid its conflict with rival groups.
The designation of CSRL follows a series of actions by the Trump administration targeting cartels and gangs across Mexico and Latin America.
On Tuesday, the United States designated Colombia-based Clan del Golfo as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), citing its role in cocaine trafficking and attacks against officials and civilians, according to U.S. officials.
Similar designations have been applied to several Mexican organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, the Northeast Cartel, and the United Cartels, as well as U.S.-based gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha.
“President Trump made a promise to pursue the total elimination of drug cartels to protect the American people,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “At my direction, the Treasury Department is aggressively cutting these criminals off from the U.S. financial system. No matter where or how the cartels are making and laundering money, we will find it and we will stop it.”
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
