Huachicol has decreased 90%, says CEO of Pemex

The general director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Octavio Romero Oropeza, reported that so far in the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the theft of hydrocarbons (huachicol) has decreased by 90% in Mexico.

“During this administration, the average deviation or theft is of the order of 5.7, which is equivalent to a 90% decrease in fuel theft. In gas theft, something similar. They stole 13,600 barrels of gas a day from us. Today, on average, in this period there are 6,000. It’s a 55 percent decrease.”

When appearing before commissions of the Chamber of Deputies to analyze the Fourth Government Report of President López Obrador, the official explained that while, in 2018, the equivalent of 56,000 barrels of hydrocarbons were stolen on average per day, between 2019 and 2022 said average is 5,700 barrels per day.

The fight against the illicit fuel market or huachicol, he specified, reports savings of 117,000 million pesos.

“Additionally, now that this hydrocarbon can be commercialized, now that it is not stolen, taxes are paid. So, there is an additional income of 49,000 million to the national treasury and the grand total, the benefit of Pemex and the treasury amounts to 166,000 million pesos.

Deputy María Gamboa Torales (PAN) considered “very serious” that Romero Oropeza mentioned that the huachicol dropped, “when in the first half of 2022 fuel theft increased by 300 percent. From 1,700 million pesos to 5,600 million, a business protected in Puebla and Tabasco, particularly by its National Guard, according to the Regional Intelligence Fusion Center of its own government. So, if you don’t agree with the figure, someone should correct it, because they are the ones who say it, not us”.

rolando.ramos@eleconomista.mx