Authorities Discover Two Secret Tunnels Connected to Pemex Pipelines

• Tunnels allegedly used to steal Pemex fuel
• One tunnel measures approximately 100 meters
• Both were connected to pipelines

Mexican authorities discovered two tunnels allegedly used to steal fuel from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipelines, one in the State of Mexico and another in Nuevo León.

The discoveries in Tultitlán and Santa Catarina revealed infrastructure designed to access illegal pipeline connections, as authorities continue operations against so-called “huachicol” in Mexico.

In Tultitlán, authorities arrived at a property in the Bello Horizonte neighborhood following reports of a strong hydrocarbon odor and movements of tanker trucks in the area.

Pemex personnel and state authorities secured the property to investigate the illegal connection, and no arrests had been announced in connection with the case at the time of the preliminary reports.

100-Meter Tunnel Led to Illegal Pemex Pipeline Taps

The second operation occurred in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, where the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) confirmed the discovery during a search of a property.

Authorities found a tunnel approximately 100 meters long inside the property, with a high-pressure hose running through it and connected to two illegal taps allegedly used to extract hydrocarbons.

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During the operation, authorities also seized a handgun, a magazine, 21 cartridges of different calibers, four vehicles, a cylindrical tank, hoses, documents, a cellphone, and hydrocarbon samples.

Pemex later intervened to disable the illegal connections to the tunnels used for fuel theft, while authorities continued investigating who built the infrastructure and how it operated.

Operations Against Huachicol Also Reach Hidalgo

The FGR reported another operation targeting fuel theft in Cuautepec de Hinojosa, Hidalgo, although authorities did not discover another tunnel during that procedure.

Authorities seized 480 liters of a substance with characteristics consistent with fuel, along with 13 tanks and a vehicle connected to the investigation.

The new cases show that clandestine excavations continue to be used to approach pipeline networks undetected and facilitate the illegal extraction of hydrocarbons.

Santa Catarina already had a recent precedent: In May, the FGR reported another excavation equipped to extract fuel and connected directly to a Pemex pipeline.

Illegal Pemex Tunnels Have Caused Deaths in Mexico

The dangers of these structures extend beyond fuel losses because they can collapse, catch fire, explode, or expose people directly to highly flammable substances.

In April, four people died in Acolman, State of Mexico, after becoming trapped when a tunnel connected to an illegal pipeline tap collapsed.

The same location had another deadly precedent: Two people died there in 2024, while authorities also discovered an excavation illegally connected to Pemex infrastructure in Tultitlán in 2022.

The two newly discovered tunnels have once again drawn attention to the scale of fuel theft in Mexico and the sophistication of the clandestine structures built to reach the country’s energy infrastructure, according to EFE and Infobae.