Overview
- Investigations describe a sprawling LP gas theft operation that leverages pipeline taps, customs routes, local storage sites and street-level distribution using pirate tankers and front companies.
- Official data show 2,470 perforations to gas pipelines in 2023 and 758 from January to September 2025, underscoring the rapid shift of fuel theft toward LP gas.
- Experts and former Pemex officials say internal vulnerabilities persist, with one veteran worker asserting the company knows where taps occur yet failed to address them.
- The Sheinbaum administration reports large seizures and fiscal actions, including more than 39 million liters confiscated this year and October complaints totaling about 16 billion pesos tied to smuggling and false invoicing.
- Hotspots remain active in corridors such as Tula–Tlahuelilpan in Hidalgo and the Triángulo Rojo in Puebla, while cases have documented security-force involvement, including the May detention of 11 National Guard members in Guanajuato.