Ernesto Ruffo tied to fuel‑smuggling scheme impacting Punto+ stations

Mexico’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office (FGR) identified the gas‑station chain operating as Punto+ – legally Gasolinera Faza S.A. de C.V. – as part of a large fuel‑smuggling network. The company, whose shareholders are Gerardo Antonio Faccuseh Dabdoub and Sandra María Zarzar Kawas, allegedly obtained contraband gasoline from Crismon Hidrocarburos y Derivados S.A. de C.V. and issued 130 digital tax receipts worth roughly 89 million pesos to mask the illegal transactions.

The investigation links the scheme to former Baja California governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel, who has been accused of causing a fiscal loss of about 4.456 billion pesos. Authorities say Ruffo and his associates were involved in a broader “simulated fiscal” operation that facilitated the illicit import and distribution of gasoline across the US‑Mexico border, implicating officials in customs, the National Guard and other agencies.