An intricate criminal network involved with petroleum product thefts in the United States and Mexico is being used by Mexican-based cartels to fuel their enterprises.
The Financial Times reported that the Trump administration has begun to pressure Mexico to bring the illicit trade to a standstill.
The Times report indicated that as many as one of four vehicles on the road in Mexico are now running on stolen and smuggled fuel. And there are indications that some fuel being stolen from producers in Mexico is being brought across the border and sold in the U.S.
The cross-border smuggling of oil is being investigated by the Trump administration. Treasury Secretary Bessent posted in May: "Fuel theft and crude oil smuggling are cash cows for Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion's (CJNG) narco-terrorist enterprise, providing a lucrative revenue stream for the group and enabling it to wreak havoc in Mexico and the United States."
Bessent added: "Treasury, as part of the Administration's whole-of-government effort, will continue to use all available tools to relentlessly target drug cartels and foreign terrorist organizations to Make America Safe Again."
Part of that strategy is pressuring Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to take action. But the Times reported that with untold millions of dollars worth of thefts and sales at stake, the cartels are awash in cash to use as payoffs to keep things running smoothly.
And to make things more difficult for enforcement agencies, the cartels are using semi-tankers, rail tankers, and ocean freighters to ship their oil and fuel loads back and forth.
Former energy regulator Francisco Barnes told the Times that it is "unfathomable that fuel smuggling could happen at this scale without the authorities realizing," he said. "Either they've been totally blind and incompetent, or complicit."
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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