Stephanie Eschenbach
TEPETITLAN, Mexico, Feb 19 (Reuters) – Mexican authorities this week raided a tunnel used to steal fuel from a state pipeline, providing a rare glimpse into a long-running battle against a black market trade often dominated by organized crime.
The 22-meter-long (72-foot-long) tunnel was discovered outside a house near the town of Tepetitlan in Hidalgo state.
This led to two taps of underground pipes, Hidalgo state prosecutors said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that security forces also seized drugs there.
Hidalgo state prosecutors declined to elaborate on the announcement. No arrests have been made so far in connection with the tunnel, said a person familiar with the operation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
While authorities did not reveal the name of the pipeline, Reuters matched the location coordinates to an Energy Department hydrocarbon infrastructure map, identifying it as a pipeline owned by state energy company Pemex that connects the Tula refinery in Hidalgo state to the Salamanca refinery in Guanajuato state.
When Reuters reporters visited the scene near the rural settlement of Sayura on Wednesday, Army and National Guard personnel were standing guard and posted a banner that read “Property seized.”
Huachicol, known in Mexico for stealing and selling fuel, began as the turf of local criminal gangs but has transformed into a violent, multi-billion dollar industry dominated by powerful cartels. It may involve gasoline, diesel and other refined products as well as crude oil.
Pemex did not respond to a request for comment. It reported that 11,774 illegal taps were found on its pipes in 2024.
The company said in a filing with U.S. regulators last year that efforts to combat black market trading “have not shown sustained improvement in recent years.”
Thieves often dig long tunnels from private land to reach pipelines. Stolen fuel is often sold locally in glass bottles or plastic cans at a significant discount to gas station prices.
Tunnels used to access pipelines often have complex engineering so fuel can be pumped in without causing pipeline pressure to drop enough to alert Pemex.
The fuel is highly flammable and accidents occur, including an explosion in 2019 that killed at least 137 people due to suspected fuel thieves.
(Reporting by Stephanie Eschenbach; Editing by Dana Beth Solomon and Cynthia Osterman)