All articles tagged with #fuel theft
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's OFAC has sanctioned the Mexican Cartel de Santa Rosa de Lima and its leader, Jose Antonio Yepez Ortiz, for fuel theft, violence, and organized crime, aiming to cut off their access to the U.S. financial system and combat cross-border energy black markets.
A New Jersey man was arrested on felony charges after allegedly using a special device to steal more than $1,700 worth of fuel from a Wawa gas pump in New Castle, Delaware. The device allowed the pump to dispense a large amount of fuel for almost no money, and similar thefts have become a trend at local Wawa gas stations. The man paid less than $20 for the stolen gas, and he was charged with felony shoplifting and related offenses.
The bodies of nine men were found in vehicles near a fuel pipeline in central Mexico, with indications that fuel theft may have been involved. Despite efforts by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to combat fuel theft, thousands of illegal taps are still found annually, leading to significant losses for the state-owned oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos. The battle over fuel has also impacted the U.S., with cartel gunmen reportedly forcing gas tanker trucks to dump their loads near the border. The illegal taps have caused violence between gangs and pose a risk to residents, with a previous explosion at an illegally tapped pipeline in 2019 killing at least 134 people.