A new column in the Mexican outlet El Universal points to retired Admiral Rafael Ojeda Durán, who served as Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) under former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as a figure who may hold crucial knowledge about Mexico’s ongoing “huachicol fiscal” scandal.
“Huachicol” is the Mexican term traditionally used for stolen or illegally tapped gasoline, a problem that has plagued the country’s state oil pipelines for years. The “fiscal” variant refers to a more sophisticated scheme in which fuel importers allegedly mislabel gasoline and diesel as non-taxable industrial chemicals to dodge import duties and taxes, before reselling it as regular fuel at gas stations. The scandal has drawn scrutiny to customs agencies, tax authorities, and the armed forces, which have taken on a growing role overseeing Mexico’s ports and customs checkpoints in recent years.
According to the column, published under the “NegoCEOs” opinion series, Ojeda’s tenure overseeing military-controlled customs operations makes him a central figure — a kind of “black box” — whose insight could help explain how the alleged fraud scheme operated and who benefited from it.
Because the piece is a brief opinion column rather than a full investigative report, further details on specific allegations remain limited. Readers interested in the full context and analysis can consult the original column on El Universal’s website.
Source: Rafael Ojeda y la caja negra del huachicol fiscal (eluniversal.com.mx). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: ralphrepo, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).