Vice Admiral Farías challenges rejection of protection appeal; case goes to collegiate court

Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna, who faces accusations of leading a fuel smuggling ring from within the Navy, is actively contesting a judge's rejection of his protection appeal. The case has now moved to a collegiate court.

Farías's defense team submitted a review request to a Penal Matters Collegiate Tribunal. This court will first decide whether to accept the appeal. If accepted, it will then examine the June ruling by Third District Judge Jorge Adrián Cruz Flores, who initially denied Farías's request for protection against his prosecution and imprisonment.

Accused by the Attorney General's Office of heading a fuel trafficking organization operating through maritime customs, Farías was processed and imprisoned in the Altiplano penitentiary in October 2025. The allegations suggest that he and his brother, Fernando Farías Laguna, along with other naval and customs officials, facilitated the unloading of at least 31 vessels carrying smuggled fuel at the Altamira and Tampico customs in Tamaulipas during the previous presidential administration.

Despite the ongoing legal battle, Farías remains incarcerated at the Altiplano maximum-security facility, awaiting the collegiate court's decision on his appeal.