Mexico says it caught replacement leader of drug gang

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Prosecutors say they have caught the replacement leader of a drug gang involved in a bloody turf battle in central Mexico. The suspect was allegedly appointed leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima gang after the group’s founder was arrested in 2020. Prosecutors in the north-central state of Guanajuato identified the suspect only by his nickname, “The Panther,” to respect the presumption of innocence. The Santa Rosa de Lima gang is fighting off incursions by the Jalisco cartel in Guanajuato, the state with the highest number of homicides in Mexico. The Sinloa cartel has sent killers, guns and money to prop up Santa Rosa.