CFE Files Criminal Complaint Over Vandalism That Left 745,000 Users Without Power

Mexico's state electricity utility, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), has filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General's Office (FGR) over damage to two high-voltage transmission lines that left 745,000 users across four southeastern states without power in the early hours of September 1, 2026. The company attributes the blackout to suspected acts of vandalism targeting the Escárcega-Ticul interconnect in Campeche.

The outage disrupted 171 medium-voltage circuits serving communities in Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, and Chiapas. The damaged segment is located in Hecelchakán, Campeche, according to Forbes México. CFE noted that the damage bears characteristics similar to those recorded on June 3, 2026 along the same transmission corridor, and that the new evidence will be folded into the legal proceedings from that earlier case, Bloomberg Línea reported. The incident once again places the security of southeastern Mexico's transmission grid on the sector's agenda, with the complaint now in the FGR's hands.

According to the company's statement, the damage was found on two 400-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage lines of the Escárcega-Ticul interconnect, with insulator discs showing signs of deliberate interference. CFE specialists documented the findings with photographs and submitted them to the FGR as part of the complaint. Company crews worked for more than seven consecutive hours to restore supply, while automatic protection mechanisms kept the electrical system operating under emergency conditions. CFE stated that it will strengthen surveillance of strategic infrastructure and maintain coordination with federal authorities to prevent further incidents.

The FGR's investigation will determine whether the September 1 damage and the June 3 incidents on the same corridor form part of a single pattern, and whether criminal liability can be established. The outcome will define the next steps for both CFE and federal authorities in protecting the southeastern transmission network.

This article was drafted with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.