ASSESSMENTS

Why Drug Cartels Are Stealing Mexico's Fuel

Oct 21, 2015 | 09:15 GMT

An oil refinery run by Mexican state-owned petroleum company Pemex in Tula, Hidalgo state.

(OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)

Fuel theft has long been a problem for Mexico, but whereas it was once a crime committed largely by individuals and small localized groups, over the past decade it has transformed into a hugely profitable business for drug cartels looking for new sources of income. With the expansion of organized crime into the business, fuel theft has ballooned. Every year since 2007, more illegal taps siphon hydrocarbon products, primarily diesel and gasoline, from the pipeline network of state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). ...

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