Mexican Authorities Make Cartel Fuel-Theft Seizures – No Arrests

Authorities in Mexico carried out a series of raids in the border city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, targeting the Gulf Cartel’s fuel theft and smuggling operations. While they seized equipment, trucks, illegal fuel, and weapons, authorities made no arrests during those raids.

The raids began at the end of August, when, according to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, they seized 164,000 liters of fuel, 47 tankers, three tractor-trailers, 12 pumps, and various other pieces of equipment. In a separate raid believed to be at a Gulf Cartel stash house, authorities seized four rifles, one grenade, dozens of ammunition magazines, tactical vests with ballistic plates, and vehicles.

Credit: Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office

During those raids, Mexico’s FGR did not report any arrests. The information raises questions about the seizures having been staged or left behind as a way to bolster the “results” of the efforts by Mexican authorities on cracking down on cartels.

The issue of illegal fuel has become a hot topic in Mexico as top political and military figures have been publicly implicated in protecting or enabling cartel-connected networks. As Breitbart Texas has reported, Mexico recently had a vice-admiral extradited from Argentina in connection with an ongoing politically connected fuel smuggling case.

Credit: Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office

While Mexico’s FGR has publicly claimed that it is not under investigation, various fuel theft cases have revealed connections to the sons of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. One of his sons, Andres Manuel Lopez Beltran, also fueled controversy when he revealed that the U.S. Department of State had revoked his visa without giving a reason. As Breitbart Texas has reported, the U.S. Department of State has revoked the visas of several politicians in Mexico who are believed to have cartel connections.

In recent months, tensions have been rising between the U.S. and Mexico’s government over the U.S. prosecution of Sinaloa’s Governor Ruben Rocha Moya. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a criminal indictment against Rocha Moya and nine of his top political allies, charging them with drug trafficking conspiracy and weapons charges under allegations of working for the Sinaloa Cartel.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly stood by Rocha Moya and Lopez Beltran, claiming that there is no evidence of wrongdoing on their part.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart News Foundation traveled to Mexico City and the states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas, including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas, if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza” from Tamaulipas.

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The Breitbart News Foundation is an independent non-profit. All content created by it is available for licensing without charge to any legitimate publisher with a large audience and that agrees to the licensing terms. For licensing information, please contact us.