Mexican Raid Reveals Cartel Jalisco Set Up Fuel Smuggling Network in Southwest Texas

A series of ongoing raids by Mexican authorities uncovered how Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) managed to quietly set up its fuel theft and smuggling operation throughout northern Mexico and South Texas. The new revelations come soon after Breitbart News Foundation reported how CJNG established a cell of gunmen in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila.

In recent days, Mexican federal authorities raided a truck yard near Saltillo, Coahuila, where authorities seized numerous trucks, trailers, fuel pumps, and containers that had more than two million liters of illegal fuel. In a series of public statements, Mexico’s top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, revealed that the raids on the railyard in Coahuila were tied to a recent seizure of a fuel tanker in the border state of Tamaulipas, where authorities seized more than ten million liters of fuel.

Mexican authorities revealed that CJNG has been working to expand its turf in border areas. The issue raised significant concerns in Coahuila, where historically, state authorities had managed to suppress the presence of cartel gunmen, Breitbart News Foundation reported.

The recent fuel seizures appear to be part of an ongoing investigation into fuel smuggling, driven by pressure from the U.S. government. This political and economic pressure prompted Mexico to crack down on CJNG operations. The issue comes at a time when Mexico’s ruling party, MORENA, has been widely accused of receiving campaign funding from illegal fuel theft and smuggling operations from organized crime.

According to information released by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, CJNG has been smuggling fuel stolen from Mexico’s oil company Pemex into Texas and working with certain refineries to sell that fuel, Breitbart Texas revealed. The fuel is falsely declared as fuel waste as a means to circumvent authorities at ports of entry.