❓WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mexican fuel-theft cartel “Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima” (CSRL), along with its imprisoned leader, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The CSRL cartel, its leader Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz (“El Marro”), and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
📍WHEN & WHERE: Sanctions were announced on Tuesday, targeting operations in Mexico and the U.S., including regions near the U.S.-Mexico border.
🎯IMPACT: The sanctions freeze U.S.-based assets of CSRL and Yepez Ortiz, bar Americans from doing business with them, and aim to disrupt a black market worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on the Mexican fuel-theft organization Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima (CSRL) and its leader, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz, known as “El Marro,” as part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign to dismantle cartel operations and cut off their access to the U.S. financial system.
According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), CSRL has built a lucrative criminal enterprise by stealing fuel and crude oil from Mexico’s state-owned energy company, Pemex. The cartel allegedly bribes Pemex insiders, taps pipelines, hijacks tanker trucks, and intimidates employees to facilitate the theft. The stolen fuel and crude oil are then sold throughout Mexico, the United States, and Central America, with crude oil frequently smuggled into the U.S. while falsely labeled as “waste oil.” U.S. officials say the proceeds are funneled back to cartel networks, fueling corruption, violence, and organized crime.
Yepez Ortiz is currently serving a 60-year prison sentence in Mexico, but U.S. authorities allege he continues to direct CSRL’s operations from behind bars, communicating through lawyers and relatives. CSRL’s activities have been linked to escalating violence in Guanajuato, now considered one of Mexico’s deadliest states due to cartel infighting and criminal activity.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions reflect President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to “eliminate” cartels by severing their financial lifelines. Under the measures, any U.S.-based assets tied to CSRL or Yepez Ortiz are frozen, Americans are barred from conducting business with them, and violations can result in civil or criminal penalties.
The CSRL sanctions come amid a broader escalation in U.S. policy toward cartels. The Trump administration has designated certain major cartel organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and is targeting drug trafficking boats. Recent anti-cartel strikes and enforcement actions have reportedly disrupted trafficking routes and pressured criminal groups operating in Mexico and beyond, signaling a more aggressive approach to confronting what U.S. officials describe as “narco-terrorist” networks.
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