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Mexican president defends crackdown on fuel theft despite shortages

Tuesday, 08 January 2019 5:33 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 08 January 2019 6:19 AM ]

Tanker trucks wait to load gasoline to distribute to Pemex gas stations in El Salto, Jalisco State, Mexico, on January 7, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says his offensive against fuel theft has been yielding positive results, while acknowledging that fuel shortages have been sparked by that crackdown.

State oil firm Pemex has changed its distribution manner in an attempt to fight rampant fuel theft by criminal groups and others, who tamper with pipelines or hijack tanker trucks, an activity that has caused billions of dollars in losses for public coffers.

The new measures have triggered shortfalls in at least six states, including Guanajuato, a major car manufacturing hub in central Mexico. According to Guanajuato’s state government, less than one third of the state’s gas stations were open on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, President Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018, said no date had been set yet for the normalization of operations, but emphasized that supply was not in danger.

“We are changing the whole distribution system, that’s the reason for the shortage. We have enough gasoline,” he said.

People buy gasoline at a station in Morelia, Michoacan State, on January 7, 2019, as shortages have been reported in several other Mexican states. (Photo by AFP)

The government has ordered the military to intervene in Pemex’s facilities, including one refinery.

“The supply will normalize; and at the same time, we are going to guarantee that fuel is not stolen,” Mexico’s new leader said, adding, “We have seen a reduction in theft like never before... but we still have work to do.”

Residents, though, are reportedly angry because of the shortages.

“Fuel is becoming a serious problem,” said Guanajuato’s Governor Diego Sinhue, who is a member of the opposition center-right National Action Party (PAN), adding, “People are really angry about this shortage.”

Sinhue said the army had informed him that it had taken control of a refinery in Salamanca City in Guanajuato on Monday morning. There, members of the armed forces were monitoring tankers going in and out of the facility, as well as the pressure of pipelines.

Energy Minister Rocio Nahle has reportedly apologized on Mexican radio for the shortages. Answering a question about when the problem would be solved, she said it was in the process of being “normalized.”

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