Gunmen blocked roads with burning vehicles and exchanged fire with security forces in a central Mexican city on Tuesday, while security officials denied that a wanted gang leader had been captured. The brazen skirmishes in the city of Celaya in Guanajuato state sparked rumors on social media that security forces had closed in on Jose “El Marro” Yepez, the head of the Santa Rosa de Lima criminal cartel, and possibly arrested him. The cartel is believed to be behind the massive theft of gasoline from illegal taps on pipelines belonging to national oil company Pemex, a criminal racket that had grown significantly in recent years.
