The story of Los Marros, one of the most violent factions of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, is once again in the public eye following recent events in Guanajuato.

This criminal group, which emerged in the heart of the so-called Huachicol Triangle, has maintained an active presence in strategic municipalities along the industrial corridor, supported by a family structure and local leaders who have managed to survive the capture of its founder, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz, alias “El Marro,” according to the newspaper El Universal.

One of these leaders is Mario Eleazar Lara Belman, known as “El Negro” and/or “Camorro,” identified by federal and state authorities as a cell leader for Los Marros.

His name appears frequently in security reports due to his role in generating violence in Irapuato, Salamanca, and Celaya, key areas for the group's criminal operations.

He is wanted for crimes such as aggravated homicide, kidnapping, extortion, drug dealing, and forced disappearance. The massacre that occurred last Sunday at a soccer field in Salamanca left 11 people dead and at least 10 more injured. Initial official lines of investigation indicated that the attack was the result of a power struggle between the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for territorial control in the region. Los Marros operate as an armed and logistical cell of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, with the capacity to carry out targeted attacks and coordinate shock troops. According to authorities, the attack in Salamanca was allegedly led by Moises Soto Bermudez, an operative close to Lara Belman, which reinforces the hypothesis that the faction's leader maintains operational control despite remaining a fugitive. Mario Eleazar Lara Belman's background is intertwined with the history of the cartel itself.News reports indicate that the Lara Belman family is part of the core group that formed the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel after the dissolution of a Los Zetas cell around 2014. Within this family network, Fabian 'La Vieja' Lara Belman and Noe Israel 'El Puma' Lara Belman stand out, considered founding operators and arrested in federal operations in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Although authorities have only officially confirmed the kinship between some of these members, the shared surnames and family structure have been key to sustaining the criminal group's operations in Guanajuato. Even after the capture and sentencing of "El Marro" to 60 years in prison, the cartel has maintained a presence in municipalities such as Salamanca, Celaya, Villagran, and Juventino Rosas, supported by regional leaders like Lara Belman. According to N+, Los Marros began as a gang dedicated to fuel theft, an activity that allowed them to finance weapons, vehicles, and community protection networks. Over time, they diversified their crimes to include extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, and territorial control, becoming one of the main challenges for security authorities in the state. For the federal government, Mario Eleazar Lara Belman is a priority target. His capture is seen as a key blow to weakening the Los Marros structure and containing the violence linked to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.His capture is seen as a key blow to weakening the Los Marros structure and containing the violence linked to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.His capture is seen as a key blow to weakening the Los Marros structure and containing the violence linked to the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel.