Voice 9, International Desk: Central Mexico authorities reported on Tuesday the discovery of the remains of nine individuals in vehicles near a fuel pipeline. The circumstances surrounding the deaths are still under scrutiny, but there are indications that the incident may be linked to fuel theft. Mexico continues to grapple with the issue of criminal organizations siphoning off gasoline, diesel, and natural gas from government pipelines.
Ángel
Rangel Nieves, the police chief of San Juan del Rio city in the central state
of Queretaro, disclosed that the bodies were located in two vehicles near the
pipeline north of Mexico City. The vehicles bore license plates from the
neighboring state of Hidalgo, which is recognized as one of the focal points
for fuel theft.
Since
assuming office in December 2018, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has
prioritized combating fuel theft as a key objective of his administration.
Despite the deployment of thousands of troops to safeguard pipelines, thousands
of illicit taps are still discovered annually.
In
2023, approximately 5,600 unauthorized taps were detected nationwide, marking a
decrease from over 7,000 in 2022 but remaining at a similar level to when López
Obrador assumed office. The government has taken stringent measures against the
open sale of stolen fuel and has succeeded in reducing the volume for a couple
of years. Stolen fuels are frequently vended by the roadside and occasionally
through authorized gas stations.
According
to lawmakers, the conflict over fuel has also impacted the United States. In
October, gunmen associated with cartels purportedly compelled gas tanker trucks
to unload their cargo in the border town of Matamoros, situated south of
Brownsville, Texas. U.S. Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat
representing Brownsville, penned a letter last month to U.S. Trade
Representative Katherine Tai, citing the alleged cartel assault.
"This
audacious criminal act significantly undermines longstanding trade agreements
that are crucial for the economic development of communities along the
border," Gonzalez expressed in his letter.
The
tapping of pipelines has led to clashes between criminal factions and poses a
threat to local residents. In an attempt to garner support from the local
populace, perpetrators occasionally leave taps open.
