Federal authorities secured approximately 2.1 million liters of fuel in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in an operation stemming from an investigation into the alleged illegal storage of hydrocarbons. The intervention was carried out through a search warrant at a property identified as a clandestine storage center, following a prior report from the National Guard about suspicious activities in the area. During the operation, authorities confiscated a considerable infrastructure that includes 49 frac tanks, 18 tank trucks, six semi-trucks, and one artisanally built tanker. Additionally, metal containers, motor pumps, and a forklift were secured, evidencing the magnitude of the illegal operation.
The investigation into fuel theft is ongoing. The Attorney General's Office (FGR) initiated the investigation after receiving information from the National Guard. The case is being investigated under the crime of illegal hydrocarbon storage. The deployment was the result of coordination between different institutions of the Security Cabinet, including the Federal Ministerial Police, experts from the Criminal Investigation Agency, as well as personnel from the Ministry of National Defense, Navy, National Guard, and Pemex specialists.
Fuel theft generates million-dollar losses. This seizure adds to the actions to combat fuel theft, an activity that has caused significant losses for the state. It is estimated that between 2019 and 2024, the illegal extraction of hydrocarbons has caused losses exceeding 75 billion pesos for Pemex. Both the property and the seized assets were made available to the Federal Public Ministry, which will continue with the inquiries to identify those responsible. In just the first quarter analyzed, losses amounted to more than 5 billion pesos.
A significant blow, but not the largest recorded. Although the seizure in Tamaulipas is one of the most important in recent times, it does not surpass the record registered in Coahuila, where more than 15 million liters were seized in a single operation last year. The seizure in Reynosa reflects the operational capacity of networks dedicated to fuel theft and illegal storage, as well as the need to reinforce surveillance and combat strategies for this crime. Federal authorities keep investigations open to dismantle the responsible parties and prevent these operations from continuing to generate economic losses and security risks in different regions of the country.
