These illegal processing centres were located in the central states of San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo and Morelos.

For years, organised crime gangs in Mexico have engaged in fuel smuggling, siphoning hydrocarbons from the pipelines and installations of the partially state-owned oil company Pemex.

Smuggling cost Pemex around US$530 million in the first half of 2026, 20 per cent more than in the same period last year.