Man Sentenced to Nine Years for Fuel Theft at CFE Facility in Cancún

Cancún, Quintana Roo — A man has been sentenced to nine years and four months in prison for stealing diesel from a Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) power plant in Cancún, authorities announced.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office said José N was convicted of illegal possession of hydrocarbons, commonly known as “huachicol” or fuel theft. National Guard officers turned him over to federal prosecutors after CFE security personnel caught him with the stolen fuel inside the Turbo Gas Central plant on Rodrigo Gómez Kabah Avenue.

According to the prosecutor’s office, José N was found with approximately 14,665 liters of diesel in a 46,000-liter tank attached to a tractor-trailer. He could not provide documentation proving legal ownership of the fuel.

The case reveals an organized fuel theft operation targeting the CFE facility to steal jet fuel and diesel. While the sentencing announcement did not specify when the crime occurred, local media reported at least two fuel theft incidents at the CFE substation last year.

One occurred on August 30, 2025, around 1 a.m., when a confrontation between CFE security personnel and two suspected fuel thieves triggered an alert. Another took place on December 1, 2025, when authorities intercepted a truck on Kabah Avenue near Luis Donaldo Colosio Boulevard that was transporting allegedly stolen fuel after the driver failed to prove the cargo’s legality.

In addition to the prison sentence, José N was ordered to pay a fine of 9,600 Units of Measurement and Update (UMAs).