Sunday, March 16, 2025

Fuel import scam costing millions in unpaid taxes uncovered by navy

Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán announced on Monday that the navy has detected a tax-evasion scheme to import hundreds of thousands of barrels of diesel without paying a peso in tariffs at the port of Tuxpan, Veracruz.

He said that the amount of duties the company — which he did not name — avoided paying could be as high as 200 million pesos (US $7.9 million) per month.

The navy was asked to look into the situation in December by President López Obrador due to fiscal irregularities found during an operation to clean up the customs system.

“It was a huge theft, [with] extensive corruption in the ports. So it is important that the navy take control of security at the ports,” said Ojeda.

He explained that from October 2019 to February 2020 the company filled tanker trucks with diesel and drove them out of the port between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. without passing through security or customs. The investigations also tracked where the tanker trucks delivered the illegally imported fuel.

“Two or three boats arrived each month. Their cargo inventories said they were going to unload 50,000 liters of diesel, [but] they actually unloaded between 200,000 and 300,000 liters,” Ojeda said.

The navy is currently carrying out the customs operation in the ports of Manzanillo, Colima, and Altamira, Tamaulipas, and the results of those investigations will be announced in the coming days. The port at Progreso, Yucatán, is also the subject of a navy investigation.

The navy, Communications and Transport Ministry, tax service and Mexican customs, among other government agencies, are all on the operation’s coordinating committee, which organizes visits to maritime customs departments to observe their day-to-day operations.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
President Claudia Sheinbaum stands at a podium at her morning press conference

Bloodless bullfighting and judicial elections: Friday’s mañanera recapped

3
Violence-free bull shows, the upcoming judicial elections and the new Canadian prime minister were topics of Friday's conference.
President Claudia Sheinbaum and US Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson

Unilateral US military action in Mexico: Johnson says maybe, Sheinbaum says absolutely not

22
Trump's pick for ambassador to Mexico left the door open US military action against cartels — with or without Mexican involvement.
Shoes, clothes and backpacks marked with yellow forensic tags at a ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco

Feds will take over grim Teuchitlán case, Sheinbaum confirms

1
Advocates hope the horrific discovery will shed light on the causes of Mexico's missing persons crisis.