A total of eleven individuals from the Mexican National Guard have been officially indicted in a case related to fuel theft, following their apprehension while siphoning fuel from an illegal pipeline using official patrol vehicles.
Jorge Jiménez Lona, the Interior Secretary of Guanajuato, confirmed the formal charges during an interview with Telediario Nocturno. He stated that a federal judge has charged these personnel with hydrocarbon theft, a crime commonly referred to in Mexico as “huachicol.”
“We received confirmation today that they have been formally charged and are currently in federal custody,” Jiménez Lona remarked. “Any misconduct by individuals affiliated with governmental bodies should be met with the full force of the law.”
As reported by Proceso, a judge has also mandated preventive detention for the eleven members of the National Guard, who have since been relocated to Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 12 in Ocampo, Guanajuato.
Jiménez Lona underscored that unlawful activities perpetrated by authorities or members of the federal armed forces will not be tolerated in Guanajuato, asserting that this incident will face appropriate consequences.
The arrests occurred on May 24 in the rural locality of El Espejo, situated less than ten miles from the Guanajuato-Querétaro state boundary.
The soldiers were apprehended while extracting fuel from a clandestine pipeline. At the time, Celaya Mayor Juan Miguel RamÃrez indicated that none of the detained soldiers were stationed in Guanajuato; rather, they had been operating in other regions.
“I was informed that the officers hailed from another state,” RamÃrez stated on May 26. “What is particularly concerning is their ability to come from outside the state and possess precise knowledge of the location of fuel lines and equipment.”
RamÃrez emphasized that this case serves as a warning to all those engaged in illegal fuel tapping, reiterating that there will be no tolerance for impunity or cover-ups.
Those involved in this illicit black-market trade, often referred to as “huachicoleros,” tap into pipelines to steal fuel for resale. This activity has evolved into a highly profitable venture for drug cartels and various criminal organizations, with federal estimates indicating annual losses exceeding $3 billion.
The term “huachicolero” gained significant attention during the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who prioritized combating fuel theft as a central focus of his government. Since 2018, the Mexican military has been deployed to safeguard oil pipelines and deter criminal factions from accessing them
