Fuel Theft Ring in Tamaulipas Leads to Charges Against 10 Mexican Officials, Including Navy Vice Admiral

In recent years, as the Mexican government continues its fight against synthetic drug production by criminal organizations, it has also faced a growing challenge: fuel theft. Criminal groups have diversified their operations, increasingly turning to the theft of hydrocarbons, commonly known in Mexico as "huachicol."

Fuel theft has become a highly profitable enterprise for cartels and other criminal organizations, with the federal government estimating losses of more than $3 billion annually. As the illicit fuel trade has expanded, so have allegations of corruption involving politicians and federal agents accused of facilitating or profiting from the black market.

One of the most high-profile cases involves Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna of the Mexican Navy, who was formally charged Tuesday along with nine others for their alleged participation in organized crime linked to a fuel theft ring operating in Tamaulipas.

On Sept. 9, following an 18-hour court hearing, a federal judge ordered Farías Laguna and the nine other defendants to stand trial. All were arrested last week in a coordinated operation by federal authorities.

Mexico's Secretary of Security and Civilian Protection, Omar García Harfuch, confirmed the arrests on Sept. 6. He said a joint operation involving multiple agencies led to the seizure of 10 million liters of fuel in the port city of Tampico. Among those arrested were entrepreneurs, public officials and former customs agents with outstanding warrants.

According to Mexican outlet Milenio, the case broke open after a customs official in Tampico—now a protected witness—tipped off investigators about the network led by Farías Laguna and his brother, Rear Admiral Fernando Farías Laguna.

During the court hearing, prosecutors alleged that the brothers led a network of corrupt public officials stationed at strategic customs checkpoints. The officials allegedly facilitated the entry of large shipments of diesel fuel in exchange for bribes that reached up to $90,000 per ship.

In his testimony, the former customs official said that during his time in office, six tankers loaded with contraband fuel docked in the port of Tampico up to 14 times, each time with the cooperation of customs personnel.

Among the evidence presented in court was a handwritten note from Rubén Guerrero Alcántara, who was shot and killed by two men on motorcycles in Manzanillo, Colima, on Nov. 8, 2024. Before his death, Guerrero is believed to have reported irregularities at the Tampico customs office to then-Secretary of the Navy Rafael Ojeda Durán, who is also the uncle of the Farías Laguna brothers.

Shortly after the charges were announced, Infobae México reported that one of the suspects linked to the case, Abraham Jeremías Pérez Ramírez, was found dead. Although Pérez did not have an arrest warrant at the time of his death, he had reportedly accepted bribes to allow ships through customs without inspection.

Investigators with the Attorney General's Office found that the Farías Laguna brothers used proceeds from the fuel smuggling operation to fund a lavish lifestyle. According to Milenio, authorities cited evidence of luxury vehicle purchases, insurance policies worth more than $500,000 and gambling expenditures approaching $3 million.