Over 2,500 arrested for fuel theft since October 2024: Wednesday’s mañanera recapped

• ⛽ Mexico targets fuel theft with thousands of arrests: Deputy Energy Minister for Hydrocarbons Juan José Vidal Amaro reported that federal security forces have arrested 2,539 people for huachicol (fuel theft) offenses since October 2024. Authorities have seized 5,572 vehicles and 173.7 million liters of fuel, and 2,224 companies have been shut down for selling fuel without the required permits. He also said that 180 companies have been removed from the registry of approved fuel importers over alleged involvement in fuel smuggling.
• 🔥🇺🇸 Sheinbaum: No commitment to buy more U.S. natural gas: Asked whether buying more U.S. gas would undermine energy sovereignty, the president said Mexico hasn’t entered into any “agreement” or made any “commitment” to do so. She acknowledged that the idea is “something that the United States has put on the table” as Trump seeks to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico. However, Sheinbaum said that Mexico’s objective is to produce more gas domestically, including to supply new combined-cycle power plants.
• ✈️ Sheinbaum praises Ambassador Johnson despite disagreements: The president said U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson “has helped us on many issues,” including by providing assistance to Mexico to get U.S. restrictions on new flights from Mexico City airports AICM and AIFA lifted. She acknowledged her government has disagreed with some of his public remarks, including his comments on corruption in Mexico, but stressed that Mexico wants “the best possible relationship with the United States.”

Why today’s mañanera matters

At President Sheinbaum’s Wednesday morning press conference, Energy Ministry officials provided an update on the government’s fight against fuel theft (known colloquially as huachicol or huachicoleo) and a fuel smuggle/tax evasion scheme known as huachicol fiscal. Both crimes have cost the federal government and state oil company Pemex huge amounts of money in lost revenue.

Today’s mañanera was also significant as the president told reporters that Mexico has not made any commitment to purchase more natural gas from the United States, as U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly urged it to do.

Mexico is already heavily reliant on the United States for its natural gas supplies.

On Wednesday morning, Sheinbaum also offered praise for U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson, highlighting that he assisted Mexico in its efforts to have U.S. restrictions lifted on new flights to the U.S. from the Mexico City International Airport and the Felipe Ángeles International Airport.

More than 2,500 huachicol-related arrests since Sheinbaum took office  

Juan José Vidal Amaro, deputy energy minister for hydrocarbons, reported that federal security forces have arrested 2,539 people for huachicol offenses since the government took office in October 2024.

He said that authorities have seized 5,572 vehicles used to transport fuel as well as 173.7 million liters of fuel.

Vidal said that the data provides evidence of the progress that has been made in combating “illegal activities in the fuel market.”

Earlier in the press conference, he reported that 2,224 companies have been shut down for selling fuel without holding the applicable permits. Vidal also said that 2,032 gas stations have been fined for not having adequate “volumetric controls” on their gas pumps.

In addition, the deputy minister said that 180 companies have been removed from the government’s registry of approved fuel importers due to their alleged involvement in fuel smuggling.

Sheinbaum says Mexico hasn’t agreed to purchase more natural gas from the US

A reporter raised the possibility of Mexico purchasing more natural gas from the United States in order to reduce the U.S. deficit in the bilateral trade relationship. “Wouldn’t this be a backward step for Mexico in the quest for energy sovereignty?” she asked the president.

Sheinbaum responded that Mexico hasn’t entered into any “agreement” or made any “commitment” to purchase more gas from the United States.

Her remarks came almost two weeks after the Financial Times reported that she and U.S. President Donald Trump had “discussed the prospect of Mexico increasing purchases of U.S. natural gas, on which it already depends for about three-quarters of its demand.”

Sheinbaum acknowledged that the possibility of Mexico buying more U.S. gas is “something that the United States has put on the table” as the Trump administration seeks to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico.

“It’s not that they’re particularly interested in selling more gas,” she said, explaining that what Trump is interested in is reducing the United States’ trade deficit with Mexico, which increased more than 20% year over year in the first eight months of 2026 to reach almost US $156 billion.

Sheinbaum said that her government has told its U.S. counterpart that its objective is to produce more gas in Mexico, in part to ensure sufficient supplies for new combined-cycle power plants.

“If for any reason we can’t produce the gas [needed for new power plants] in Mexico, we’ll have to get the natural gas from somewhere. But the objective is to produce it in the country,” she said.

The government is open to using fracking to boost natural gas production in Mexico, but no clear timeline has emerged for when new projects could begin.

Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena told Congress earlier this month that, “the conditions for proceeding with hydraulic fracturing operations currently do not exist, nor is there any authorization from the president.”

Sheinbaum: Ambassador Johnson ‘has helped us on many issues’

A reporter asked the president about her recent description of U.S. Ambassador Johnson as “a good ally of Mexico” shortly after she called on him to respect Mexico’s laws in light of the United States cooperation with the state of Querétaro on an “international police training academy” project that hadn’t been authorized by the federal government.

Sheinbaum responded that Johnson, ambassador to Mexico since May 2025, “has helped us on many issues.”

She said that Johnson helped her government “a lot” on the issue of “air transport” after the United States last year revoked approval for existing and planned flights to the U.S. from the Mexico City International Airport and the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA).

The U.S. Department of Transportation last week lifted restrictions on new flights to the U.S. from AICM and AIFA, allowing Mexican airlines to launch new routes to U.S. airports. The lifting of the restrictions — which were imposed due to aviation disputes between Mexico and the U.S. — will allow U.S.-bound passenger flights to depart from AIFA for the first time.

Sheinbaum said that Johnson worked with Mexican and U.S. officials on the “whole process” related to Mexico’s efforts to have the U.S. restrictions lifted.

“We have to say it, and finally the [U.S.] sanction was lifted,” she said.

“[Johnson] helped on this issue,” Sheinbaum said.

“There are other issues on which the ambassador helped us,” she added.

Sheinbaum acknowledged that her government has disagreed with some of Johnson’s public remarks, including those he made about corruption in Mexico during an address in Sinaloa in April. She said that she and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have expressed their disagreement to the ambassador.

“But there are issues on which he has helped us,” Sheinbaum reiterated.

“… We don’t have any problem in saying it. What do we want? The best possible relationship with the United States, always with respect for our sovereignty and respect for our compatriots in the United States,” she said.