Ex-Mayor Accused of Illegal Gas Station Permits

Playa del Carmen, Mexico — Former Playa del Carmen mayor Roxana Lili is accused of favoring the company Holbox Gas, linked to the Zaragoza family, by permitting the construction of a gas station without federal permits in a residential zone.

This same family owns Gas Silza, the company responsible for a recent explosion in Iztapalapa. Both companies operate under the brand Tomza Gas, which is known for its lack of licenses and complicity with corrupt authorities.

A Permit for an Unauthorized Project

During her tenure, the PAN-party mayor, who now seeks refuge in the Morena party, allowed Holbox Gas to build a liquefied petroleum gas station at the entrance to the Villas del Sol neighborhood without permits from the Agency for Safety, Energy, and Environment (ASEA). The construction was completed at the end of her administration one year ago.

The station was situated adjacent to approximately 100 homes and near a kindergarten and an elementary school. Only through a permanent protest mounted by residents over several months was the operation of the infrastructure ultimately blocked. Although the gas station was fully constructed, it lacked a gas supply and never began operations.

Connections to a National Scandal

Holbox Gas and Gas Silza were founded by the Zaragoza Ito family, primarily through Tomás Zaragoza Ito, the outstanding shareholder. Holbox Gas was established in Cancún in 2003, while Gas Silza was constituted in Tijuana in 2009.

Gas Silza is alleged to be the main party responsible for the explosion in Iztapalapa. At the time of the incident, the company did not have insurance policies or valid licenses from ASEA. All these companies form part of the Tomza Gas brand, also owned by this family, which is one of the main distributors of domestic gas in the country with a significant presence in Playa del Carmen and Cancún.

A Timeline of Regulatory Violations

The former mayor granted a construction permit in mid-2024 in favor of Holbox Gas, just after she had lost her reelection bid. This was done despite the fact that ASEA, the federal agency that regulates such fuel distribution projects, had only just received the permit application through the submission of an Environmental Impact Manifest (MIA).

The project, named "Estación de Carburación Villas del Sol Gas LP," was filed with the federal agency on June 19, 2024. Construction began illegally around the same days. The permit application remained frozen in Mexico City, while in Playa del Carmen, everything was prepared for the station's start of operations in November of last year.

Legal Repercussions and Ongoing Scrutiny

Holbox Gas now faces a lawsuit of "lesividad" promoted by the current municipal administration of Playa del Carmen. The suit seeks, through administrative nullification, to invalidate the corrupt contracts issued by Roxana Lili, who, the article states, will not be spared and must face justice.

The companies share a common denominator: they prefer to begin operations without permits and under the protection of corrupt government officials in power, as allegedly occurred in Playa del Carmen with former mayor Roxana Lili.