Mexico seizes record 3.8 million liters in Tamaulipas fuel‑theft crackdown

Federal forces dismantled two illegal fuel‑processing plants in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, on 24 July, confiscating a record 3,769,500 liters of hydrocarbons at the main site and an additional 109,400 liters at a secondary location. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the seized facilities are not true refineries but clandestine processing centers.

The crackdown comes amid a broader surge in fuel theft across Mexico. In Tamaulipas, a clandestine tap is detected on average every 26 hours, with 95 pipeline perforations recorded between January and April 2026, placing the state ninth nationally for such incidents. Nationwide, 3,836 taps were logged in the same period, a 3.7% rise over the previous year. Losses from fuel theft amounted to 23.5 billion pesos in 2025 and 3.8 billion pesos in the first quarter of 2026.