Mexico expands investigations into fuel tax evasion and illegal diesel imports

President Claudia Sheinbaum said the Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) is conducting at least two major investigations into "huachicol fiscal," the illegal smuggling of taxed fuel. One probe stems from the March 2025 seizure of a vessel that arrived in Tampico carrying diesel declared under a permit for another substance, an incident that has led to multiple arrests and extradition requests for businessmen residing in the United States. The second investigation targets railway tank cars that entered Mexico through the northern land border with illicit fuel.

Sheinbaum noted that the investigations are coordinated with U.S. authorities, including the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and that the Financial Intelligence Unit had previously opened cases on companies sanctioned by the United States. New tools such as QR‑code tracking for fuel shipments and checks by the National Guard are being used to verify the origin and permits of transported fuel. Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed that further operations and arrests are planned, though details remain confidential.