The Evolution of the Mexican Drug Cartels - Now Oil Thieves

According to new developments, drug traffickers employing high-tech drills have successfully stolen more than $1 billion worth of oil from Mexico’s pipelines over the past two years. Using sophisticated methods the oil smugglers have transported a portion of the petroleum to the U.S., and sold it to U.S. companies – some of which knew that it was stolen.

This is quite a blow to President Calderon’s war against the drug cartels. The drug cartels have successfully stolen Mexico’s most vital national resource. This shows how the traffickers are rapidly evolving from traditional narcotics smuggling to activities as diverse as oil theft, transport, and sales. Now, let’s take a look at what is happening across the border in the U.S. This year alone, executives of four Texas companies pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiring to receive and sell millions of dollars worth of stolen petroleum condensate. The companies include Y Gas & Oil and Trammo Petroleum.

Obviously something must be done about this. Stealing oil is not just a regular crime. It’s a crime against the Mexican society! The theft is both a symbolic and financial blow to the Mexican government. The cartels have successfully stolen Mexico’s peace, safety, and are now threating its economic stability more than ever before. Taxes paid by Pemex ([Mexican Petroleums] is Mexico’s state-owned petroleum company) account for 40 percent of the federal budged.

Mexico has launched an all-out campaign to defend the oil pipelines, drawing the army, the attorney general’s office, the Interior Ministry and the customs service. Unfortunately, Pemex will have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next three years defending its pipelines. Mexicans officials have already made arrangements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to investigate U.S. companies conspiring with Mexican firms planning to export oil across the border.

For more information view the Washington Post article – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/12/AR2009121202888_3.html?hpid=topnews

[Via http://gracierios.wordpress.com]