In his latest column, veteran Mexican journalist Carlos Loret de Mola turns his attention to a fuel-theft case that authorities touted as a landmark victory in the fight against “huachicol”—the widespread practice of siphoning gasoline and diesel from Mexico’s state-run pipelines and selling it on the black market.
Loret de Mola, known for his investigative reporting and frequent scrutiny of official narratives, suggests that the celebrated seizure may not be what it appears. Rather than a genuine breakthrough against organized fuel-theft networks, the columnist implies the operation looks more like a carefully choreographed media event designed to project an image of decisive government action.
Huachicol has long been a thorn in Mexico’s side, costing the national oil company Pemex billions of pesos annually and fueling violence in regions where criminal groups control theft operations. Officials regularly announce crackdowns and seizures as evidence of progress, but critics like Loret de Mola have repeatedly challenged whether such announcements reflect real enforcement gains or simply serve political messaging.
Given his track record of digging into government claims, this piece is likely to reignite debate over transparency in Mexico’s ongoing battle against fuel theft.
To read Carlos Loret de Mola’s full analysis and judge the evidence yourself, check out the original column at eluniversal.com.mx.
Source: El montaje del “decomiso histórico de huachicol” (eluniversal.com.mx).
Image: Mark Klotz, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).