Authorities in central Mexico said Tuesday that they had found the bodies of nine men inside a vehicle near a fuel pipeline.
The circumstances of the fatal accident remain under investigation, but there are indications that fuel theft may have been involved. Mexico faces a problem with gangs stealing gasoline, diesel, and natural gas from government pipelines.
Angel Rangel Nieves, police chief in San Juan del Rio, in the central state of Queretaro, said the bodies were found in two vehicles near a pipeline north of Mexico City. The vehicles had license plates from the neighboring state of Hidalgo, which is considered one of the centers of fuel theft.
Amro reveals that 32 migrants kidnapped near the US-Mexico border were released rather than rescued
Since taking office in December 2018, President Andres Manuel López Obrador has made fighting fuel theft a central goal of his administration. But even with thousands of troops deployed to guard pipelines, thousands of illegal water pipes are still discovered every year.
At sunrise on April 24, 2023, the Mexican flag flies in front of the National Palace, the presidential residence in Mexico City's main square Zocalo. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
In 2023, approximately 5,600 cases of illegal wiretapping were discovered nationwide. Although this was down from more than 7,000 in 2022, it was about the same level as when López Obrador took office.
The government cracked down on the open sale of stolen fuel and managed to reduce volumes for several years. Stolen fuel is often sold on the side of the road and sometimes through licensed gas stations.
National oil company Petroleos Mexicanos' losses from fuel theft fell to just $275 million annually in 2019 and 2020. But losses have since ballooned, rising to more than $1.1 billion in 2022.
Pipeline taps cause gang violence and pose a danger to residents. To gain support from local residents, thieves may leave taps open.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
On January 18, 2019, an explosion at an illegally opened pipeline in Hidalgo state killed at least 134 people. The explosion occurred in the town of Trahuerilpan, where residents were collecting gasoline that had leaked from a tap.
