"Char" for Borderland Beat
This information was translated and reposted from MILENIO
Pemex personnel, along with members of the National Guard and the Attorney General's Office, were at the Matamoros and Reynosa intersections.
WRITTEN BY: ANAHY MEZA
APRIL 4, 2O25
Pemex personnel, the National Guard, and the Attorney General's Office (FGR) conducted an operation against fuel smuggling at the international bridges in Reynosa and Matamoros, which caused imports to be paralyzed for hours at the Tamaulipas border this Friday.
The inspections were carried out on trailers attempting to cross the US-Mexico border. In Reynosa, they were carried out at the Pharr Reynosa International Bridge, while in Matamoros, they were carried out at the Los Indios and Los Tomates International Bridges, according to unofficial information and social media reports that demonstrated the delay.
In the case of Reynosa, the line of trucks extended along Cage Avenue and overtook the Military Highway in the city of Pharr.
The drivers of the trucks complained about the delay, as they were unable to move forward for several hours due to the very thorough inspections. First, the truck drivers were asked for their documentation to verify that the cargo matched the invoices and the customs declaration, meaning that no attempt would be made to import fuel by passing it off as other merchandise that would pay less taxes.
A physical inspection of the units was also carried out, which made the procedure very slow, and by Friday afternoon, transportation and importing companies began to push to expedite the process.
Therefore, prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office (FGR), members of the National Guard, and Pemex had to speed up the process to move the line more quickly.
Fiscal huachicol experienced a 14% increase since 2020, according to estimates by the Tax Administration Service (SAT). This represented 14% of the total demand for gasoline and diesel in Mexico, resulting in significant losses.
The strategies used to evade taxes include importing fuels labeled as automotive lubricants that are not subject to the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS), altering documents, and falsely declaring imports.
It is estimated that fiscal huachicol represents a variation between the amount exported by the United States and imported into Mexico of 40 million liters of fuel per day.
This figure reveals a monumental embezzlement in terms of tax revenue, particularly in consumption taxes, such as the Special Tax on Production and Services (IEPS) and the Value Added Tax (VAT), which are essential for supporting social programs and infrastructure projects.
In southern Tamaulipas, 10 million liters of diesel were seized from a Singapore-flagged ship. The ship arrived at the Port of Tampico and unloaded the fuel at the designated yard, which was then stored on a property in Altamira.