Introduction
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) repeatedly emphasized the slogan “No lie, no steal, no betray the people” during his presidency. However, the case of fuel theft (huachicol) contradicts his claims. While it remains unclear if he directly profited from this issue, AMLO lied openly about the extent of the problem and betrayed those who believed he had resolved it.
Lies and Misleading Claims
AMLO misled the public by falsely asserting that fuel theft was under control. He made these claims during press conferences, reports, and tours, stating that fuel theft had decreased by 95% and even boasted an 98% reduction compared to 2018. In July 2019, he declared, “The end of huachicol both above and below.” Unfortunately, his statements were proven false.
In his Sixth Annual Government Report, AMLO continued to mislead by claiming that combating fuel theft generated savings of 342,000 million pesos, which he said funded the construction of the Dos Bocas refinery. However, official data contradicts this assertion; Pemex lost over 94,000 million pesos due to fuel theft between 2018 and 2024, with an additional 12,000 million pesos lost to stolen liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Thus, AMLO also lied about these savings.
Operational Discrepancies and Ongoing Fuel Theft
From October 2024 to June 2025, federal operations in states like Hidalgo and Puebla have resulted in the cancellation of illegal taps and massive seizures, proving AMLO’s attempts to conceal the issue. In the last quarter of 2024 alone, Pemex reported losses of 5,456 million pesos due to fuel theft. Over the entire year, losses totaled 20,428 million pesos, a mere 1.3% decrease from the 20,703 million pesos lost in 2023. Where is the claimed 98% reduction?
In 2024, there were 9,877 illegal taps detected, a mere 10% decrease from the 10,974 in 2023. By January and February 2025, another 1,563 illegal taps had been added. The fuel theft issue remains strong.
The fiscal fuel theft, reaching 40 million liters daily—one-third of the sold fuel—results in daily losses of 35 million pesos. AMLO downplayed its severity.
Contrasting Efforts: AMLO vs. Claudia Sheinbaum
Unlike AMLO, President Claudia Sheinbaum has acted more seriously. In the last quarter of 2024, losses from fuel theft dropped by 21.9%, while seizures increased by 70.45%. In April 2025, 2 million liters were seized in central Mexico, 10 million liters of diesel were confiscated from a ship in Tampico, and another 18 million liters of fiscal huachicol were seized in Baja California and Tamaulipas. In May, 4 million liters were secured in Tabasco.
Between June 10 and 24, nearly 1.8 million liters were confiscated across four states. On June 29, almost 2 million more liters were seized in Coahuila. However, the daily theft of 5 million liters and the lack of crucial detainees during significant seizures indicate that the problem persists.
Key Questions and Answers
- Did AMLO directly profit from fuel theft? Unclear, but he lied about its extent and resolution.
- What were AMLO’s false claims about fuel theft? He claimed it was under control, with a 95% to 98% reduction, which contradicts official data.
- What are the actual losses due to fuel theft? Between 2018 and 2024, Pemex lost over 94,000 million pesos due to fuel theft and an additional 12,000 million pesos from stolen LPG.
- How many illegal taps were detected in 2024? There were 9,877 illegal taps detected in 2024.
- Are fuel theft issues resolved under the current government? While not completely erradicated, the current administration no longer lies about the problem and appears to combat it more effectively.
