Nine Bodies Found Near Mexican Pipeline Amid Ongoing Fuel Theft Crisis

Despite government efforts, losses from fuel theft rise to over $1.1 billion in 2022, posing significant risks to residents.

Nine men were found dead in vehicles near a fuel pipeline in central Mexico, with indications that fuel theft may have been involved.
Mexico is grappling with a widespread problem of fuel theft by gangs, who steal gasoline, diesel, and natural gas from government pipelines.
Despite efforts by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to combat fuel theft, thousands of illegal taps are still found every year.
Losses from stolen fuel at the state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, have risen to over $1.1 billion in 2022, up from as little as $275 million per year in 2019 and 2020.
Fuel theft not only causes financial losses but also leads to violence between gangs and poses a risk to residents, as evidenced by an explosion at an illegally tapped pipeline in Hidalgo state in 2019 that killed at least 134 people.