Mexican officials are taking steps to shield key political figures in the ruling party from scrutiny regarding a fuel theft operation linked to a cartel in northern Mexico.
Reports indicate that funds from various cartel-affiliated fuel theft ventures have previously been funneled into political campaigns in the country.
Recently, authorities conducted a significant raid in the border city of Reinosa, Tamaulipas, where agents from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) confiscated 1.8 million liters of fuel, nine trucks, 39 trailer tanks, 12 pumps, and other industrial equipment.
After the raid, Mexican officials released a statement discussing enforcement actions, part of a public relations initiative led by the nation’s top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch. This response seems aimed at addressing U.S. concerns about insufficient measures against drug cartels. The operation in Reinosa is believed to involve the new generation of the Jalisco Cartel as well as factions of the Gulf Cartel.
According to reports, Garcia Harfuch is intensifying raids, inflating seizure figures, and highlighting large deployments to placate U.S. officials. However, the reality is that drug cartels continue to operate with significant freedom across much of Mexico.
In the wake of the FGR’s announcements, local journalists and political rivals from the ruling party, Morena, have pointed out that the site of the fuel theft operation is owned by a company associated with Mexican Senator Jose Ramon Jr. Gomez, a leading figure in Morena.
Reports also suggest that numerous Morena politicians have channeled money from fuel theft into their campaigns through an organization linked to the late Sergio Carmona, who was shot dead in 2021 at an upscale barber shop in Nuevo Leon. Since that incident, more details have emerged about the intricate links between Mexican political leaders and cartel-funded political campaigns.
