After the Mexican navy carried out intelligence work, federal authorities discovered that a criminal group called “Pura Gente Nueva” commercializes stolen fuel through fuel suppliers that operate in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche.
Sources close to the investigation told EL UNIVERSAL that authorities found that several companies pass off the stolen fuel as legal though fake invoices.
In June, officials from the navy, Security Ministry (SSPC); Attorney General’s office (FGR); Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer (Profeco); Tax Administration Service (SAT); Security, Energy, and Environment Agency (ASEA); Pemex, and the Energy Regulating Commission (CRE) carried out an operation at a company’s headquarters. There, authorities found an illegal fuel tap and Pemex has already filed a lawsuit for fuel theft.
During the operation, officials from the Energy Regulating Commission (CRE) discovered that the company’s facilities did not correspond to the permits granted. The CRE is working to revoke the permits previously granted to this company.
Meanwhile, the Security, Energy, and Environment Agency (ASEA) suspended the company’s maritime and ground stations and filed a lawsuit before the Attorney General’s Office.
Pemex, a state-owned oil company, also filed a lawsuit before the FGR after it detected an active irregular fuel supplier. It notified the company distributer that all of its commercialization and distribution contracts with Pemex had been revoked.
The Federal Prosecutor for the Consumer (Profeco)shut down a fuel dispensary found at the ground service station.
The Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation to find out more about the cartel’s modus operandi.
The facilities are being monitored by the navy until the National Guard arrives.
In recent months, authorities have intensified their efforts to eradicate corruption and crime in ports.
Pura Gente Nueva
In 2017, Tabasco, Campeche, and Chiapas authorities arrested “El Viejón,” the leader of the so-called Pura Gente Nueva Cartel. The criminal was faced with homicide, kidnapping, organized crime, and fuel theft charges.
Fuel-theft in Mexico
In February 2019, EL UNIVERSAL reported Pemex facilities in the Gulf had been attacked by fuel theft gangs.
Since 2017, the state company has reported over 300 fuel theft cases in oil tankers and material and equipment theft at Pemex oil platforms, according to a report released by the Mexican Navy.
The navy indicated fuel thieves who operate on high seas are involved in at least 20% of all cases. The criminal groups usually intercept oil tankers in Mexican waters, subject the crew, and subtract the fuel with hoses connected with their vessels.
These fuel thieves are also known to use fuel transfer pump units between vessels on high seas, which is strictly forbidden by Mexican law since said process should only be carried out on the quay, stated the Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda after mentioning the Imiloa and Winchester ships that were seized at the Dos Bocas port in Tabasco, which was carrying a total of 175,975 gallons of fuel.
During the previous administration, the navy was able to secure four supply vessels engaged in fuel trafficking in the states of Campeche, Tabasco, and Veracruz. The ships were: Havnor, carrying 198,176 gallons of diesel; Captain Kenny, with 86,963 gallons of diesel; Isla del Carmen, with 64,225 gallons, and Perla, with 1,249 gallons.
The crew-members of said ships were Honduran and Colombian. They often failed to report the amount of fuel that was being carried in the ships’ logbooks.
Naval authorities have also identified criminal groups that operate by climbing onto the platforms, subjecting Pemex staff, and stealing the equipment. According to the official document, the oil platforms in the Campeche Sound that have shown an increased criminal activity are Bolontiku, Kab, Kix, May, Sinan, and Tsimin, which are part of the Mexican Gulf’s southeast marine region, which covers 6,835 square miles of deep waters where there are large deposits of hydrocarbons. The northeast marine areas were less vulnerable to criminal activity.
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