Sheinbaum requests entry of US troops for military exercises

Smuggling in Matamoros: growth under military control

Fuel smuggling from the United States to Mexico, a practice that intensified during the six-year term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, now involves three high-ranking soldiers from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena). The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) accuses them of facilitating the illegal entry of gasoline into the customs office in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, between June 1, 2024 and July 15, 2025.

An investigation by EL PAÍS, based on confidential documents and foreign trade databases, reveals that crime has multiplied in that border area since Sedena assumed control in mid-2020. The militarization of customs, justified by the former president as a measure to guarantee honesty and efficiency, did not prevent the fiscal huachicol – as hydrocarbon smuggling is known – from finding new ways of operating.

Ghost companies and figures that explode

Records show that in 2019 and 2020, suspicious imports of additives and lubricating oils did not exceed 2 million liters. Starting in 2021, with customs in military hands, the volume skyrocketed. That year, the company Nafta Aditivos Orgánicos, indicated in military documents as linked to illegal trade, imported 80 million liters of additives supplied by the American Hevi Logistics.

In 2022, Hevi Logistics shipped another 80 million liters. But the biggest jump occurred in 2023, when imports reached 690 million liters. Most of it came from Hevi Logistics and the rest from Ikon Midstream, another export firm under investigation by US authorities. The importers were old acquaintances, such as Sensive Solutions, which shares management with companies linked to the network of the Ministry of the Navy, or JSC Servicios Aduanales, which received millions of pesos from Ahavat Logistics Solution, identified as an intermediary for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

By 2024 and 2025, the numbers fell to pre-2021 levels. However, the FGR discovered a new method: using calcium chloride solution as a disguise. The JR Customs Services company would have smuggled 144 million liters of fuel between June 2024 and July 2025 with the complicity of the three fugitive soldiers.

Official response and previous evidence

Sedena responded to EL PAÍS that operational control of customs corresponds to the National Customs Agency of Mexico, although it reiterated its willingness to collaborate with the FGR. The prosecution described the case as “one of the largest smuggling schemes detected in the country.”

Internal documents leaked by Guacamaya Leaks indicate that the Government had information since January 2020 about the unusual increase in lubricant imports without economic support. In recent weeks, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned companies and individuals complicit in a tax huachicol network linked to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, with 160 reports of suspicious activities worth $7 billion from Texas and Florida.

Alert cancellation

The Secretary of the Navy (Semar) reported the cancellation of the Tsunami Alert for the Mexican Pacific. The measure was taken after the 7.4 magnitude earthquake recorded 135 kilometers southwest of Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas.

According to the department in charge of Raymundo Pérez Morales, the decision was based on the analysis of sea level observations. On the coasts near the epicenter, no significant variations are expected.

Semar maintains permanent monitoring of sea conditions to inform the population of any changes. “Prevention, surveillance and timely information are part of our commitment #ParaServirAMéxico,” he posted on his X account.

Security recommendations

After the earthquake, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo activated security protocols. On his social networks he asked not to go near the beaches in the next few hours due to the risk of tsunami. “The Secretary of the Navy recommends not approaching those beaches in the next six hours due to the risk of tsunami. It is important to follow the recommendations of Civil Protection,” he wrote around 10:00 a.m.

Semar continues to monitor the sea to guarantee the safety of the population and avoid incidents.

Loose buoys in the Rio Grande

Around 100 buoys and floating walls placed by the Texas government on the border between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, dislodged due to recent rains and the increased flow of the Rio Grande. State Civil Protection images show how the structures are carried away by the current; some are already stuck in Mexican territory.

International bridges were immediately closed due to the risk of impact. Eagle Pass Mayor Aaron Valdez reported on social media that they would remain closed until the buoys passed. His counterpart from Piedras Negras, Jacobo Rodríguez, confirmed the situation in a video: “There are 100 coming that were brought by the current and they are loose; let’s hope they get stuck somewhere.”

Each floating wall weighs about a ton. Given the possibility of hitting the bridge structure, it was decided to close the border crossing.

No risk of overflow for now

The buoys, installed to deter unauthorized migrant crossings, were placed on the US shore. Francisco Contreras Obregón, regional coordinator of State Civil Protection, explained that between 5 and 6 in the afternoon the flow would reach its maximum point: 2,183 cubic meters per second, with a depth of 7.5 meters. He assured that there is no risk of overflow, but urged the population not to approach the area.