Mexico City — Mexico’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office (FGR) is investigating a criminal network that allegedly smuggled 144.5 million liters of fuel into the country in just 52 days, in what could be the largest documented case of tax-evasion fuel smuggling from the United States.
According to the investigation, first reported by the newspaper Reforma, the operation took place between June 1 and July 22, 2025, using the Matamoros, Tamaulipas, customs post to bring in diesel, gasoline, and light naphtha. The smugglers used false documentation to pass off the hydrocarbons as other products, evading taxes and customs controls.
The shipments were then transported by rail to Aguascalientes, Querétaro, and San Luis Potosí, where they were allegedly distributed through a wide illegal sales network.
The volume of fuel brought in averaged 2.7 million liters per day — enough to fill about 61 full-size tanker trucks or the tanks of approximately 42,000 vehicles daily, underscoring the scale of the smuggling scheme.
The case file also implicates alleged members of a criminal structure that reportedly had support from officials and supervisors linked to customs operations. According to press reports, the FGR is seeking the arrest of three military personnel connected to the case, though no sentences have been handed down and the accusations must be proven in court.
So-called “fiscal huachicol” involves importing fuel using false customs declarations to avoid paying taxes. This differs from the theft of hydrocarbons through illegal taps, but it also causes multimillion-dollar losses to the treasury and distorts Mexico’s fuel market.
