QUERETARO, MX – In a shocking discovery, the bodies of nine men were located within two vehicles in Central Mexico. The deceased men were found near a fuel pipeline on Tuesday. Local authorities are investigating the circumstances of their deaths, suspecting that fuel theft could be involved.
The vehicles, bearing license plates originating from Hidalgo, a recognized hub for fuel theft, were found near a pipeline north of Mexico City. Taking note of Mexico’s ongoing struggles with gangs stealing gasoline, diesel, and natural gas from government pipelines, Ángel Rangel Nieves, Police Chief of San Juan del Rio city in Queretaro state, pointed out links to such unlawful activities.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in office since December 2018, has prioritized combating fuel theft. Despite deploying thousands of soldiers to protect pipelines, the number of illicit taps discovered yearly remains high. Around 5,600 illegal taps were uncovered in 2023 alone, which, albeit a decrease from the over 7,000 identified in 2022, remains a significant issue.
The Mexican government has made efforts to suppress the open sale of stolen fuel, and they have managed to decrease it for a couple of years. Stolen fuel often finds its way to licensed gas stations or is sold alongside roads.
The state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, saw losses owing to stolen fuel dip to about $275 million per year in 2019 and 2020. Unfortunately, these losses have inflated since, with over $1.1 billion being lost to theft in 2022.
The fuel thievery issue has also had implications for the United States. Recently, cartel gunmen purportedly forced gas tanker trucks to empty their cargoes in the border town of Matamoros, located south of Brownsville, Texas.
Concerns were raised by U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, who represents Brownsville, in a letter addressed to the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, citing the alleged cartel attack as undermining crucial trade agreements vital for the economic growth of border communities.