Illegal oil refining and corruption in Reynosa

Organized crime in Reynosa, Mexico, has expanded from pipeline tapping to operating large-scale illegal refineries. Investigations indicate these operations are coordinated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). A specific “huachicol bilateral” operation, allegedly run by James Lael Jensen and Maxwell Sterling Jensen, has been linked to moving Mexican crude to U.S. refineries, with U.S. authorities reporting collusion among customs, naval, and political actors to facilitate shipments.

Recent allegations from Sergio Gutiérrez Luna, Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, have connected these clandestine refining activities to former government officials in Tamaulipas. Specifically, investigations into Maytrack S. A. de C. V.—the company owning the land where an illegal facility holding nearly 4 million liters of fuel was found—reveal the firm received approximately 208 million pesos in government contracts during the administration of former governor Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca. Critics suggest these contracts were managed by Reynaldo Garza Gómez, acting as a financial operator for the former governor, reinforcing allegations of ties between the state administration and the ‘huachicol’ industry.