The Tula refinery in Hidalgo, one of only eight in the country, and its connected infrastructure and pipelines make for convenient targets for oil thieves. Despite some success nationwide in stopping huachicol, Hidalgo has seen the highest rates of oil theft in the country for three years running. This latest incident in Hidalgo points to the continued power of oil theft groups even amid the government's massive campaign to curb the practice.

The government has committed military resources towards providing security to Pemex pipelines and transport routes. The group is known to target pipelines from Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).Ĭurbing this practice has become a security priority for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador since 2018. The Pueblos Unidos of Hidalgo group is dedicated to huachicol ( fuel theft) in the state of Hidalgo, though it has also been involved in kidnappings. SEE ALSO: Stopping Oil Theft in Mexico Futile Game of Whac-a-Mole Video 📹: Especial /nm0fuIkWFi- El Universal December 2, 2021

According to media reports, his organization has spread its tentacles throughout six municipalities in Hidalgo, as well as localities within Queretaro and Michoacan.Īsí fue como ingresó un grupo armado al penal de Tula para rescatar a nueve internos, entre ellos el líder huachicolero José Artemio Maldonado Mejía, alias “El Michoacano”

Maldonado had been arrested in Mexico state just five days prior to the assault on charges of murder and kidnapping. The armed men forced guards to free nine inmates, including José Artemio Maldonado Mejía, alias “El Michoacano”, the leader of the Pueblos Unidos criminal organization, though there appears to be no connection between this gang and another group known as Pueblos Unidos, a community force in Michoacán. Police officers were injured in an ensuing shootout. In the early hours of December 1, a group attacked the Social Readaptation Center of Tula (Centro de Readaptacion Social – CERESO), ramming through the gates of the complex and setting off car bombs, Vice reported. Oil theft gangs continue to be a dominant criminal force in central Mexico, despite numerous attempts to curb their power, as evidenced by a recent violent prison break in the state of Hidalgo.

Prison break season 1