Authorities Shut Down Illegal Fuel Tap in Ecatepec, Seize Tanker with 30,000 Liters

Personnel from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) located and shut down an illegal tap connected to the Tuxpan-Azcapotzalco pipeline on November 2, 2026, in the El Charco neighborhood of Ecatepec, State of Mexico, and seized a 30,000-liter tanker three-quarters full of fuel at a nearby warehouse.

The site is located on Avenida Gran Canal, between Sonora and Oaxaca, at kilometer 289+300 of the pipeline, according to La Jornada. Excélsior reported that the find occurred beneath a vehicular bridge on the Siervo de la Nación highway and that the operation was led by Pemex's Strategic Safeguard personnel, who had yet to confirm the route of the tap. The pipeline is part of the 16-inch network that carries fuel to the Valley of Mexico and crosses the State of Mexico, a state with a high incidence of illegal taps on that infrastructure, according to Milenio. Interruption or illegal use of these lines affects gasoline and diesel supply to the metropolitan area, the country's largest market.

At the property, authorities found a cavity where the hose connected to an extraction pump fed into the pipeline, along with 40 one-thousand-liter containers of cleaning products, fabric softeners and air fresheners that, according to La Jornada, are presumed to be used to mask the smell of fuel. Milenio reported, citing data from the Secretariat of Security, a tap more than 300 meters long and an initial inventory of four industrial containers and 10 drums. Civil Protection, firefighters and risk-management teams assessed the area and ruled out danger to the population, so no evacuation was ordered. The property was placed under the guard of the Secretariat of the Navy, the National Guard and Pemex sector 18, while the Attorney General's Office (FGR) carries out the seizure proceedings.

The FGR continues its proceedings regarding the tanker, the containers and the shut-down extraction point, with no arrests reported so far. The key detail to watch is confirmation of the type of fuel, which Excélsior noted is still under investigation, and the volume that will be entered into the federal case file.

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