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Judge Orders Nine in 'Los Petrofactureros' Fuel-Theft Case to Stand Trial

The rulings deepen Mexico's crackdown on fuel theft rings that used dozens of shell firms to mask sales.

Overview

  • The nine suspects, who were bound over Sunday according to federal prosecutors, remain in pretrial detention as the case moves forward.
  • Eight defendants face organized crime and money laundering charges with mandatory preventive detention, while Perla Oralia Vega was linked only for illicit-proceeds operations with justified detention.
  • Héctor Iván Pineda, identified by authorities as the alleged leader, and Nizarindani Hernández were also linked in a separate case for crimes against health and possession of cartridges and chargers, along with money laundering.
  • Coordinated operations in the State of Mexico, Chihuahua, and Querétaro led to arrests and the seizure of 47 vehicles, five properties, jewelry, and cash placed under judicial control.
  • Investigators say the network ran more than 40 shell companies in logistics, energy, and transport to move stolen gasoline and diesel, a practice known in Mexico as huachicol, with logistics allegedly directed by Pineda across several states.