It wasn’t a ‘gas-trick’, it was a blatant robbery
Pachuca, Hidalgo. In a plot twist that not even Guillermo del Toro himself would have imagined, the Attorney General’s Office decided that it was enough for them to see our faces. In the La Nopalera neighborhood, in the municipality of San Agustín Tlaxiaca, a gas station was doing its thing with the measurements, as if they believed that we are in 1999 and we don’t have apps to check everything. Spoiler alert: the FGR does have apps, and very powerful ones.
It turns out that during a routine check – or perhaps not so routine because someone must have gossiped – the authorities detected that the supply of liquefied gas was more fake than an influencer promoting crypto. The measuring instruments indicated one thing, but the reality was very different: less gas, more illicit profit. Basically, consumer deception was served, and not exactly in an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The citizen complaint that triggered the operation
It all started with a complaint filed by the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco), because at the end of the day, the one who pays the price – or in this case, the gas that they do not receive – is the people. This complaint gave rise to a verification order that, to no one’s surprise, uncovered inconsistencies in the volumetric tests. The measurements showed numbers lower than those specified, which in Christian means: they scammed people.
Faced with this panorama, the Federal Public Ministry did not sit idly by. He started an investigation file and requested a search warrant to intervene at the station. The result: the property was secured, along with a meter (the instrument of crime), two gas tanks, a high-pressure hose and 13 fire extinguishers – in case the heat of the scam was too much.
But wait, there’s more: the huachicoleo doesn’t rest
And as if one scandal were not enough, in another operation related to the combat against fuel theft, elements of the Mexican Army, the Ministry of Security and Mexican Petroleum decided that it was also time to act. This time, the target was a home in the town of San Juan Acichilco, municipality of Tezontepec de Aldama.
In that place, an alleged warehouse used for the transfer of fuel stolen from Pemex pipelines was located. Yes, again the famous huachicoleo that does so much damage to the country. Several vehicles reported stolen, trucks, containers and, of course, fuel that did not belong to them were found on the property. Basically, it was the filming set of a poorly planned action movie.
The site was secured by police agents, while the corresponding investigations are carried out. In other words, the party is over for those involved, at least for now.
The clear message: fraud does not pay
These operations send a strong message: the authorities are vigilant and will not allow consumer deception or hydrocarbon theft to continue to proliferate. Whether through altered measurements or fuel diversion, illegal actions will have consequences. And although sometimes it seems that the system is slow, it eventually acts.
For citizens, the lesson remains to always be alert and report any irregularity. Because in the end, the one who loses is everyone’s pocket. And in times of inflation, every peso counts more than ever.
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