MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s top prosecutor said Sunday the government planned to order the arrests of “many more” people involved in cross-border fuel theft networks, underscoring a widening probe that has already netted a senior navy officer and 13 other suspects.
Prosecutor Alejandro Gertz Manero said the operation, announced Saturday, targeted individuals tied to a massive fuel seizure in northern Mexico and could include government officials. The detainees include a senior Mexican navy officer related to the former head of Mexico’s navy, as well as business leaders and other officials.
Gertz Manero and Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch framed the arrests as evidence of a crackdown on huachicol, the term used in Mexico for fuel theft. García Harfuch said the detained individuals were isolated cases within the navy and defended security forces, saying "the actions of a handful of isolated people doesn't mean they're acting in the name of a respectable institution."
Critics and independent analysts say the detentions instead highlight the breadth of criminal networks that profit from tapping pipelines, illicitly selling fuel inside Mexico or importing cheaper fuel from U.S. border states such as Texas and smuggling it back without paying import taxes. Observers note that coordinating such schemes typically requires complicity from elements within political and security institutions.
"Huachicol networks require a level of political, military and police protection," said Mexican security analyst David Saucedo. He said pressure from Washington has pushed Mexican authorities to pursue higher-profile arrests only recently.
The arrests come days after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Mexico to press officials on security issues, including fuel theft. Mexican officials acknowledged Rubio’s diplomatic push but said their efforts were homegrown law-enforcement actions.
Fuel theft has been a persistent and costly problem for state-owned oil company Pemex, which lost about $3.8 billion over five years to illegal tapping and diversion, according to figures cited by Mexican authorities. The losses have prompted successive administrations to attempt a mixture of enforcement, pipeline monitoring and changes to fuel distribution, with varying success.
Gertz Manero declined to provide a full list of future targets but said prosecutors would continue pursuing those involved in the networks. He and García Harfuch dodged wider questions from reporters about whether the detained navy officer’s case pointed to deeper, systemic involvement by security forces.
Law-enforcement officials said some of the arrested were linked to an organized operation that moved fuel across the U.S.-Mexico border and into domestic black markets. Authorities did not immediately release the names of all detainees, the specific charges filed against each, or detailed evidence linking them to the broader networks.
Analysts and anti-corruption campaigners echoed calls for transparency and broader institutional reforms to curb the influence of criminal groups within public institutions. While the government insists the arrests represent progress in curbing huachicol, critics argue that isolated detentions without structural change will not dismantle well-established smuggling and theft operations.
Mexican officials have increasingly emphasized law enforcement steps against high-profile cases even as they face skepticism over whether prosecutions will reach all levels of alleged complicity. The prosecutor’s announcement signals an intent to press the investigation further; how broadly those efforts will extend into government ranks remains uncertain as authorities pursue evidence and prepare additional arrests.