FGR sources question Guanajuato fuel-theft classification
Original reporting: Jornada Baja California
What happened
FGR sources told Jornada Baja California that 59 million liters of fuel seized in Guanajuato do not appear to be fiscal huachicol. The report said the case led to the removal of the FGR’s state delegate and that the storage company claimed permits for up to 100 million liters.
Reporting and context
Sources in Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said 59 million liters of fuel seized at a storage center in San José Iturbide, Guanajuato, do not appear to be “fiscal huachicol,” or fuel illegally moved through tax and customs schemes, Jornada Baja California reported. The operation was carried out on September 17 at facilities associated with Gas Natural del Noroeste.
According to sources cited by Jornada Baja California, the case led to the removal of Juan Francisco Vera Ayala as the FGR’s delegate in Guanajuato. Norma Quevedo Vázquez, who has experience in the federal institution, was expected to replace him. The investigation was taken over by the FGR’s specialized organized-crime prosecutor’s office.
The SIMSA group, which owns Gas Natural del Noroeste, said it had permits from all three levels of government to store as much as 100 million liters of hydrocarbons at the facilities. In a statement issued the day after the seizure, the company denied that its customers’ fuel was illegal and said it had provided the FGR with supporting documents. Jornada Baja California reported that the operation was initially described as the largest anti-fuel-theft action of the current administration, but that the search warrant was issued for Gas del Noreste, a different company that apparently lacks the relevant government registration.