A Mexican Cartel boss who filmed executions during a campaign of murders, kidnappings, extortion and acts of terrorism has walked free after just five days.
Leonel ‘N’, known by his alias “El Gordo de Zempoala” – which translates as “The Fat Man of Zempoala” – was identified as the main perpetrator behind ongoing violence in the Laja-Bajío region – and as a high-ranking member of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel (CSRL). The region has seen various criminal and terrorist attacks against authorities and police.
His arrest in Querétaro on Monday, February 10, was seen as a significant blow to the CSRL criminal organisation, which has been engaged in a violent power struggle with the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) for control of the state, since 2017. But much to the dismay of prosecutors, the notorious criminal has walked free.
Authorities pointed to El Gordo de Zempoala as the alleged mastermind behind a confrontation in which four police officers from the State Public Security Forces (FSPE) died in Uriangato, Guanajuato in December 2024. However, it is not known what charged were levelled against him and the conditions of his release.
He is also linked to a separate conflict on January 6 in Yuriria, where members of the National Defence Secretariat (SEDENA) and the FSPE killed 10 alleged members of the CSRL.
The region’s Attorney General’s Office has vowed to appeal his release, posting on Twitter /X: “The Attorney General of the State of Guanajuato announces that it will appeal the release of Leonel “N” . We reiterate our firm commitment to the rule of law and to the eradication of impunity. We will not rest in the search for justice , always ensuring the well-being and safety of all Guanajuato residents.”
Guanajuato, an important industrial and tourist centre, has become one of the most violent states in Mexico due to the dispute between the warring cartels, both of which are dedicated to drug trafficking and fuel theft, among other crimes.
Zempoala’s arrest was carried out as part of a joint operation between the Querétaro Prosecutor’s Office, the State Public Security Forces (FSPE) and the Secretariat of Security and Peace of Guanajuato. According to investigations, he was one of the trusted men of José Antonio Yépez Ortiz, alias “El Marro”, founder of the CSRL and currently held in the maximum security prison of Altiplano.
After his arrest in August 2020, Leonel “N” assumed leadership in the southern area of Guanajuato, extending his influence over a number of other municipalities, including Celaya, Apaseo el Alto, Apaseo el Grande and Yuriria.
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