Huachicolero

Last updated

In Mexico, a huachicolero or guachicolero is a person dedicated to the theft and illicit sale of motor fuel (primarily petrol and diesel) and adulterated alcoholic beverages. [1] Fuel theft has been on the increase in the country in recent years. [2] [3]

Contents

Etymology

The word derives from huachicol – originally, according to the Mexican Academy of the Language, an alcoholic beverage adulterated with low-grade alcohol made from sugarcane [1] – plus the suffix -ero, indicating a profession, occupation or device. [4] El Colegio de México's Diccionario del español de México  [ es ] offers two definitions for huachicol or guachicol: a tool comprising a pole with a basket on one end, used to pick fruit from trees, or the person who uses such a tool; and "a criminal who steals fuel by tapping the pipelines that carry it." [5]

According to the Academy's Diccionario de Mexicanismos, [6] the term also derives from the word guacho, from the Mayan word waach, which means "thief" in some parts of Mexico. [7]

Modern-day illegal activities

Fuel theft from pipelines owned by Pemex, the state oil company, has been a long-term problem in Mexico. [8] [9] The problem worsened in the 2010s as organized crime groups in Mexico began including oil theft as part of their main streams of revenue. With the international soaring of fuel prices, this criminal activity became a lucrative business for thieves. [10] Oil theft crime groups used bribery and violence to corrupt government officials. [10] Investigators suspect that several officials within Pemex are involved in facilitating the operations of these criminal groups. [11] Complicity includes activities such as employees sharing the exact time when the fuel will flow through the pipelines, the maps of the pipelines, and how to successfully perforate them. [12]

Illegally extracting or possessing oil from pipelines, vehicles, equipment, or installations is a federal crime in Mexico and is punishable with up to 20 years in prison. [13] The fuel they steal is generally sold on the black market at a discounted price. [11] [14] These groups have gained support from impoverished communities because they provide low-cost fuel and give some locals a venue for employment as fuel carriers and lookouts. [10] Their supply of illegal fuel is believed to sustain entire communities in some parts of the states of Veracruz, Puebla and Hidalgo. [15]

By mid-2018, the rate of pipeline perforations had risen considerably to slightly over 40 perforations per day, compared to 28 perforations per day in 2017. [8] In the first 10 months of 2018, 12,581 illegal perforations were reported across pipelines in Mexico. [16] As a result of the increase of fuel theft, the federal government has spent approximately US$3 billion per year on pipeline repairs and maintenance, as well as compensation to oil consumers for whom the oil was intended. [17] [18]

Given the volatile nature of motor fuel, accidents are common: in December 2010, an explosion in San Martín Texmelucan de Labastida, Puebla, killed 29 people, [19] and at least 137 were killed in the Tlahuelilpan pipeline explosion in Hidalgo on 18 January 2019. [20]

When President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December 2018, he launched a campaign against oil theft gangs, and dispatched close to 5,000 troops from the Armed Forces and the Federal Police to guard pipelines across Mexico. [21] Part of his strategy was to divert the flow of fuel from pipelines, detect leaks when they occurred, and transport the fuel by trucks. [22] Most of the thieves operate in remote areas, and drill at the pipelines during the night to avoid detection. These measures were intended to stop the thieves from illegally tapping fuel pipes. When implemented, however, the measures led to logistical problems, resulting in fuel shortages and long lines at filling stations nationwide in January 2019. [10] The Federal Police component would be later be replaced by the National Guard in the late spring when that service was officially created by an act of Congress.

See also

Related Research Articles

Pemex Mexican state-owned petroleum company

Pemex is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expropriation of all private oil companies in Mexico at the time of its formation. Pemex had total assets worth $101.8 billion in December 2019 and as of 2009 was Latin America's second largest enterprise by annual revenue, surpassed only by Petrobras. The company is the seventh most polluting in the world according to The Guardian.

Adulterant Substance within other substances which reduces its safety

An adulterant is a substance found within other substances such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fuel or other chemicals that compromises the safety or effectiveness of said substance.

A gas explosion is an explosion resulting from mixing a gas, typically from a gas leak, with air in the presence of an ignition source. In household accidents, the principal explosive gases are those used for heating or cooking purposes such as natural gas, methane, propane, butane. In industrial explosions many other gases, like hydrogen, as well as evaporated (gaseous) gasoline /petrol or ethanol play an important role. Industrial gas explosions can be prevented with the use of intrinsic safety barriers to prevent ignition.

Gasoline theft When gasoline is stolen from a gas station, pipeline or vehicle

Gasoline theft occurs when gasoline is stolen from a gas station, pipeline or vehicle.

The 2006 Atlas Creek pipeline explosion was a disaster that occurred on 12 May 2006 at Atlas Creek Island, near Lagos, Nigeria, when a pressurised petrol pipeline that had been ruptured by thieves exploded, killing 150 people. The Nigerian Red Cross said that vandals had originally drilled holes into the pipe to steal fuel, and that local people had then come down with jerrycans to fill them with fuel. Approximately five hundred jerrycans were found at the scene of the explosion, which incinerated anyone within a 20-metre radius. Many victims were buried nearby in a mass grave.

San Martín Texmelucan de Labastida is a city in the west-central part of the state of Puebla in Mexico, adjacent to the southwest corner of the state of Tlaxcala. It is the municipal seat of the municipality of San Martín Texmelucan. The city is the fifth-largest in the state of Puebla, with a 2020 census population of 155,738 inhabitants.

Ku-Maloob-Zaap is an oil field in Mexico. It is made up of three relatively large fields, Ku, Maloob, and Zaap, which are located to the immediate northwest of the Cantarell field. The field lies in 100 m (330 ft) of water.

Tlahuelilpan Municipality and town in Hidalgo, Mexico

Tlahuelilpan is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 31.3 km2 (12.1 sq mi). As of the 2010 census, the municipality had a total population of 17,153.

The 2010 Puebla oil pipeline explosion was a large oil pipeline explosion that occurred at 5:50 am CST on December 19, 2010, in the city of San Martín Texmelucan de Labastida, Puebla, Mexico. The pipeline, running from Tabasco to Hidalgo, was owned by the Pemex petroleum company, and exploded after thieves from the Los Zetas drug cartel attempted to siphon off the oil. The gas explosion and resulting oil fire killed 29 people, including thirteen children, and injured 52. Some of the flames in the fire became ten metres high, and the smoke towered over the city. Firefighters eventually controlled the blaze, but electricity and water remained cut following the explosions, and the military was deployed to the site. Mexican President Felipe Calderón visited the explosion site on the day of the incident to offer condolences to the victims' families. The fire was one of the deadliest in Mexican history, largely destroying an area of five-kilometre radius, and some oil may have polluted the Atoyac River.

Adrián Silva Moreno Mexican crime journalist and murder victim

Adrián Silva Moreno was a Mexican freelance journalist and collaborative crime reporter for several media outlets in the state of Puebla in central Mexico.

Torre Ejecutiva Pemex explosion

On 31 January 2013 in Mexico City, an explosion caused by a gas leak occurred beneath Building B-2 at the Torre Ejecutiva Pemex, a skyscraper complex that is the headquarters of Pemex, the Mexican state oil company. At least 37 people died and another 121 were injured when an explosion occurred in a building adjacent to the main tower. Earlier in the day, Pemex sent out a tweet saying that the building was being evacuated due to a "problem with the electrical system" in the complex that includes the skyscraper.

Armando Saldaña Morales Mexican crime journalist and murder victim

Armando Saldaña Morales,, was a Mexican radio journalist for the radio stations La Ke Buena and Radio Max in Tierra Blanca, Veracruz, Mexico. He was abducted on 2 May 2015 and found dead two days later 350 kilometers southeast of Mexico City near the town of Acatlan de Perez Figueroa, Oaxaca. He had been reporting about organized crime involvement in petroleum from Pemex, the Mexican oil company.

On 18 January 2019, a pipeline transporting gasoline exploded in the town of Tlahuelilpan, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The blast killed at least 137 people and injured dozens more. Mexican authorities blamed fuel thieves, who had illegally tapped the pipeline. The explosion was particularly deadly because large crowds of people had gathered at the scene to steal fuel. Security forces tried to persuade people to move away from the scene, but they were outnumbered and asked not to engage with civilians for fear of causing a violent confrontation. The leak was reported at 17:04 CST (11:04 UTC), and the explosion occurred two hours later at 19:10. It took about four hours for responders to extinguish the fire.

Oil theft in Nigeria is considered to be the illegal appropriation of crude or refined oil products from the pipelines of multinational oil companies. Oil theft in Nigeria is facilitated by the pragmatic co-operation between security forces, militia organizations, the local population, and oil company employees who use a variety of methods to steal oil from the multinational oil corporations that are stationed within the country. Currently, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Statoil, Shell, and Agip are the five largest multinational oil companies present in Nigeria. Due to the lack of federal oversight and a large network of corruption, oil theft is primarily cellular rather than hierarchical and requires frequent collaboration between a variety of random players depending on the level of oil theft being committed. Each group maintains a specific role in the oil theft trade in Nigeria. These key players use methods such as hot-tapping and cold-tapping to perform oil bunkering and steal thousands of barrels of oil per day from established oil pipelines. In addition to stealing oil from the pipelines, oil theft can also occur during the transportation of the crude oil product to the oil shipping terminals for export. Oil thefting often is the only way for individuals to survive in Nigeria.

Brigadier General Eduardo León Trauwitz served as the head of security for Pemex, Mexico's state-run oil company, from 2012 to 2019. He is now a fugitive of justice, accused of masterminding a scheme to steal fuel from the Mexican government. He previously served as then-Governor Enrique Peña Nieto's personal bodyguard.

The Fourth Transformation refers to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's 2018 campaign promise to do away with privileged abuses that have plagued Mexico in recent decades. López Obrador defined the first three transformations as the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821), the Reform War (1858–1861) and the Mexican Revolution (1910–1917).

Santa Rosa commonly known as Santa Rosa de Lima is a town located in the municipality of Villagrán, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

The Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel or CSRL is a Mexican criminal organization from the state of Guanajuato. Founded in 2014, it was initially headed by "The Sledgehammer". They mainly earn their income from oil theft. In June 2020, it was reported that state government raids and turf wars with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel resulted in the Santa Rosa de Lima losing much of their territories in Guanajuato, Querétaro and Hidalgo and all of their "soldiers." However, cartel members still maintain a small presence in certain municipalities of Guanajuato, such as Villagrán, though they are not active in organized crime. Ortiz was captured by state and federal authorities on 2 August 2020 along with 5 other people.

The huachicol or guachicol is an adulterated alcoholic beverage. The Mexican Spanish word is also used to name the fuel adulterated or stolen. People who engage in the illegal activity of stealing and adulterating fuel and alcoholic beverages in Mexico are known as huachicoleros.

References

  1. 1 2 "¿Cuál es el origen y uso de la palabra huachicolero?" (in Spanish). Academia Mexicana de la Lengua. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  2. ↑ "Fuel theft increased by 52.6% in Mexico". El Universal. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  3. ↑ "Number of fossil fuel thefts in Mexico by state 2016 | Statistic". Statista. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "-ero" (in Spanish). Diccionario de la lengua española, Real Academia Española. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  5. ↑ "Huachicolero" (in Spanish). Diccionario del español de México. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
  6. ↑ "Diccionario de mexicanismos". Academia Mexicana de la Lengua. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  7. ↑ "Mexico's President Fights Gas Crisis, While Mexicans Endure Long Lines With Jokes". NPR. 15 January 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Fuel theft increased by 52.6% in Mexico". El Universal. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  9. ↑ "Number of fossil fuel thefts in Mexico by state 2016 | Statistic". Statista. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Villegas, Paulina; Semple, Kirk (19 January 2019). "Death Toll in Mexico Blast Rises to 66; Leader Vows to Intensify Crackdown on Fuel Theft". The New York Times.
  11. 1 2 "Mexico pipeline fire kills at least 21, many while gathering illegally tapped fuel". Los Angeles Times. 19 January 2019.
  12. ↑ Asmann, Parker (14 January 2019). "Oil Thieves Convenient Scapegoats for Mexico's Gasoline Shortages". InSight Crime.
  13. ↑ "Explosión en Tlahuelilpan, 73 muertos y 74 heridos: Minuto a minuto". Milenio (in Spanish). 19 January 2019.
  14. ↑ Sanchez, Cecilia; McDonnell, Patrick J. (4 January 2019). "Mexican president tells motorists not to panic over gasoline shortage". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ↑ McDonnell, Patrick J. (12 January 2019). "Gas shortages: A self-inflicted crisis by Mexico's new president?". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ↑ "Dozens killed as oil pipeline explodes in Mexico's Tlahuelilpan". Al Jazeera. 19 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "Mexico pipeline blast kills 66 and injures dozens more". BBC News. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  18. ↑ 18 Jan, Thomson Reuters; January 19, 2019 11:19 PM ET. "At least 20 killed in Mexico pipeline explosion | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  19. ↑ Gould, Jens Erik (20 December 2010). "Mexico Pipeline Blast Kills 28, Blamed on `Criminal Gang' Stealing Fuel". Carlos Manuel Rodriguez. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  20. ↑ "Mexico explosion: scores dead after burst pipeline ignites". The Guardian. 19 January 2019.
  21. ↑ "More Than 60 Dead, Dozens Injured In Mexican Pipeline Explosion". NPR. 19 January 2019.
  22. ↑ "At least 20 killed in pipeline explosion in central Mexico". The Telegraph. 18 January 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.