They secure nearly 3 thousand sea cucumbers in Baja California

Almost 3 thousand specimens of sea cucumber were seized in Baja California. The person responsible remained at the disposal of the FGR.

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) reported the seizure of 2,994 specimens of sea cucumber (Isostichopus fuscus), a species subject to special protection. The shipment was transported illegally by a person who was detained in Baja California.

Joint operation

RelatedThey seize a mutilated cockatoo and arrest a trafficker at Mérida airport

On July 16, the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) reported to Profepa a suspicious vehicle on the San Felipe-Ensenada highway. Inspectors from Profepa and personnel from the Ministry of the Navy (Semar) went to the scene. Inside the car they found 39 transparent plastic bags with marine invertebrates.

The person who transported them did not have authorization from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) to prove their legal origin. For this reason, she was detained and placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry of the Federation, attached to the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR). The vehicle and the specimens were also seized.

Protected species

The sea cucumber is included in NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 as “Subject to Special Protection” and in Appendix III of CITES. Semarnat points out that these species could be threatened, so their recovery and conservation are a priority. Other examples are the Sonoran green toad and the blue heron.

This invertebrate animal has an elongated body that measures between 2.5 and 180 centimeters long, with a diameter of up to 25 cm. Some specimens reach more than 3 meters. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development warns that fishing is complicated and its market value is very high, which encourages illegal trafficking.

12 locomotives arrive at the Mayan Train for cargo service

Twelve locomotives begin loading operations on the Mayan Train starting in January 2027.

12 locomotives arrive at the Mayan Train

President Claudia Sheinbaum announced in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, the arrival of the first 12 locomotives for the Mayan Train cargo service. These units are currently used to transport materials for the consolidation of the project’s infrastructure.

The train will strategically connect five entities in the southeast: Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, Quintana Roo and Yucatán. Sheinbaum announced that commercial cargo operations will formally begin in January 2027, which he described as an economic trigger for the region.

The Secretary of National Defense, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, participated in the event; the secretaries of Tourism, Josefina Rodríguez Zamora, and of Culture, Claudia Curiel de Icaza; as well as the governors of the five entities. Also attending were the directors of the Trains and Integrated Public Transport Agency, Andrés Lajous Loaeza; from the National Tourism Promotion Fund, Sebastián Ramírez Mendoza; and from INAH, Joel Omar Vázquez Herrera, along with representatives of Grupo ICA and Grupo INDI.

The president highlighted that Sedena contributes to logistical development through the engineering and operation of projects of this scale. The arrival of these locomotives represents a significant step to improve connectivity and boost economic and tourism development in the southeast.

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Sheinbaum flight to New York canceled due to adverse weather

Sheinbaum's flight to New York is canceled due to weather and fire smoke.

Cancellation due to weather conditions

Delta commercial flight 2973, where President Claudia Sheinbaum would travel to New York, was canceled Saturday afternoon at the Cancun Airport. Originally scheduled at 3:40 p.m., it had a first delay until 5:25 p.m. before the final suspension.

According to airport authorities, the cancellation responds to adverse weather conditions and poor air quality in New York, derived from recent forest fires.

Sheinbaum confirms attendance

Despite the setback, Sheinbaum published a video on his social networks confirming his presence in the World Cup final this Sunday at the New York-New Jersey Stadium. In the message, he highlighted the diplomatic nature of his trip: he will attend at the invitation of President Donald Trump and will coincide with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The president reiterated that the meeting of the three heads of state reflects the coordination between the co-organizing nations of the tournament, where Spain and Argentina will compete in the championship.

So far, the Presidency has not reported whether Sheinbaum will use an alternative commercial route or an armed forces aircraft. The official delegation maintains the return to Mexico City for Monday.

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Tamaulipas: the center of the fiscal huachicol that drained the treasury

Tamaulipas is the epicenter of fuel smuggling from the US to Mexico, with corruption in customs and links to organized crime.

Fuel smuggling from the United States to Mexico, which grew during the six-year term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has a clear epicenter: Tamaulipas. At its customs, sailors and soldiers were corrupted, charging millions for allowing millions of liters to pass through. Sergio Carmona, The king of huachicol, and also Roberto Blanco Cantú, The lord of the ships, a fugitive from justice, were originally from Tamaulipas. The Metros, a faction of the Gulf Cartel now linked to the CJNG, operate from there. In that entity, prosecutor Ernesto Vásquez Reyna was killed after a fuel seizure. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reported $7 billion in suspicious activity in the last year.

The criminal network at customs

A EL PAÍS database, combining confidential reports and foreign trade statistics, reveals that of the 2.8 billion liters of lubricants imported since 2019, almost 2,700 entered through the customs of Tampico, Matamoros, Altamira, Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Reynosa. In March 2025, the oil tanker Challenge Procyon arrived in Tampico with alleged additives; It was actually transporting fuel. The search led to the seizure of 10 million liters of diesel, 192 containers and 32 vehicles. This case uncovered a conspiracy that united high-ranking sailors, customs officials and businessmen, managing to smuggle at least 564 million liters in 69 ships since 2023. The Prosecutor’s Office points to Fernando and Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna, political nephews of former Secretary of the Navy José Rafael Ojeda Durán, as ringleaders.

Collaborators and leaks

Mefra Fletes, a company that distributes trafficked fuel, had Roberto Blanco Cantú as a partner since 2019. One of his pipes took the police from the Challenge Procyon to a property in Altamira where they found the millions of liters. Blanco Cantú has been a fugitive since September 2025, when another arrest warrant was issued against eight people linked to that firm. In addition, three high-ranking soldiers are fugitives accused of allowing, from Matamoros customs, the smuggling of 144 million liters between June 2024 and July 2025. Internal documents from Sedena, leaked in the Guacamaya Leaks, indicate that the Government had information about these operations for more than five years.

US sanctions and huachicol in reverse

In August 2025, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two Mexicans and nine companies for fuel smuggling. He pointed to Tamaulipas, along with Nuevo León and Coahuila, as entry points. At the same time, in a trial in the US, tycoon James Jensen is accused of a huachicol in reverse: introducing crude oil stolen from Pemex from Mexico. The star witness, Luis Ariel Rivera, revealed links to the CJNG and bribery at customs. The case shows that huachicol is a shared crisis between Mexico and the United States, with multimillion-dollar losses for both countries.

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