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Mexican Authorities Dismantle "Los Primos" Fuel Smuggling Ring; Corrupt Officials Implicated
🇲🇽 Mexico /Crime & Justice

Mexican Authorities Dismantle "Los Primos" Fuel Smuggling Ring; Corrupt Officials Implicated

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Mexican authorities have dismantled a fuel smuggling network known as "Los Primos," allegedly operated by Fernando Farías.
  • The network illegally imported fuel by misreporting tankers as oils or additives, with the help of corrupt customs officials.
  • Investigations revealed manipulated documents and adulterated samples, leading to the seizure of millions of liters of fuel and the arrest of 15 individuals, including former public servants.

Mexican authorities have detailed the operations of a sophisticated fuel smuggling ring, "Los Primos," allegedly led by former marine Fernando Farías. The Attorney General's Office (FGR) revealed that the network illegally imported hydrocarbon fuels by misrepresenting arriving tankers as oils or additives at ports like Tampico and Ensenada, thereby evading taxes.

Investigations by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Organized Crime (FEMDO) uncovered evidence of manipulated customs documents and adulterated product samples. Corrupt border agents allegedly facilitated the illicit discharge of fuel. The scheme involved legally established companies that then distributed the smuggled fuel to service stations.

The organization began by improperly reporting the tanker ships that arrived at the ports of Tampico or Ensenada, where they were cataloged as oils or additives to evade taxes.

— Ernestina Godoy Ramos, Attorney General of the RepublicExplaining the initial steps of the fuel smuggling operation.

Key evidence emerged in March 2025 with the seizure of a ship in Altamira, Tamaulipas, carrying approximately eight million liters of hydrocarbon fuel. A similar operation was detected days later in Ensenada, Baja California, where another vessel was seized with nearly eight million liters of illegally imported fuel.

Evidence of manipulated customs reviews and documents, as well as corrupt border agents who facilitated the discharge of hydrocarbon, in addition to the adulteration of volumes and samples of the product, was obtained.

— Ernestina Godoy Ramos, Attorney General of the RepublicDetailing the evidence uncovered during the investigation.

The criminal network operated in Tamaulipas, Baja California, Colima, Sonora, and Mexico City. To date, 15 individuals have been arrested and presented to judicial authorities, including 12 former public servants. The FGR estimates the economic impact of the organization to be over 340 million pesos, with authorities also confiscating 86 fuel trucks, 29 tankers, and three properties.

Further investigations are ongoing, with the FGR seeking arrest warrants for additional individuals, including shareholders, representatives, and associates involved in the distribution network across six states. The FGR highlighted that this type of "huachicol fiscal" (fiscal fuel theft) is not new, recalling the Odebrecht case.

Fiscal fuel theft was born with the PRIAN; this practice is old and recalls the Odebrecht case.

— Ariadna MontielCommenting on the history of fiscal fuel theft in Mexico.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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