A drug refinery is found and dismantled.
Federal authorities seized and dismantled an illegal hydrocarbon production facility after searching a property in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz.
Omar García Harfuch, federal Secretary of Security, explained that the facility lacked permits and security measures; it produced "artisanal diesel, light gasoline or solvents, and treated oils or light fuel oil."
500,000 liters of oil and 11 tanks were seized.
The U.S. Treasury Department is targeting a petty theft network within Pemex, and has identified its operating model.
The cartels and their huachicoleros obtain crude oil by bribing Pemex employees and local government officials, although they may employ other tactics to steal oil, such as illegally drilling pipelines, robbing refineries, and threatening Pemex employees,” the report states.
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Crime refines its huachicol García Harfuch states that the discovery was made through intelligence work and overflight operations in Coatzacoalcos.:quality(75)//media/inside-the-note/pictures/2025/06/19/pr250619_13a.jpg)
The discovery was made through intelligence work and overflight operations in that Veracruz municipality, carried out by the entities comprising the Security Cabinet, with support from the Ministry of Energy (Sener) and Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).
As a result of field intelligence work and reconnaissance flights, a clandestine operation was identified in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, to produce artisanal or alternative diesel, light gasoline or solvents, and treated oils or light fuel oil. This operation was operating without the proper permits and posed a risk to local ecosystems.
In an action by the Security Cabinet @SENER_mx, @defensamx1 @SEMAR_mx @FGRMexico, @GN_MEXICO_, @SSPCMexico and the Logistics Coordination and Intelligence Management of @Pemex, a search warrant was executed. More than 500 thousand liters of crude oil were recovered, as well as infrastructure for production destined for the illicit fuel market," García Harfuch detailed in a message on his X account.
The Security Cabinet reported that, based on field investigations and overflights, a search warrant was requested and executed yesterday, Wednesday, at a property used for the irregular handling of hydrocarbons.
On the property, a complex used as a "small-scale refinery" was found, the security agency explained, which had equipment for separating fuels and pipes for transporting them.
500,000 liters of crude oil, seven large-capacity mobile tanks, four vertical tanks, and infrastructure used for illegal fuel production were seized .
The facilities do not comply with current safety regulations for handling these substances, nor do they have the appropriate permits, which posed a risk to the population.
The plant was originally dedicated to the treatment of industrial waste and, with some modifications, currently illegally processed hydrocarbons.
It was reported that the evidence obtained was handed over to the Control Judge who issued the order to search the property, and the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office will continue its investigation.
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