Mexican authorities raided an underground fuel theft terminal in a tunnel where thieves had erected an altar to the devil and La Santa Muerte. Prosecutors found fuel cisterns, illegal taps, and 10,000 gallons of stolen fuel.
Ten suspects were arrested, and 12 vehicles and drugs were seized. President López Obrador has ordered thousands of troops to guard pipelines and ordered fuel to be transported by tanker trucks to stop pipeline tapping.
Despite the efforts, the number of illegal taps has gone up to nearly 14,000 per year, causing immense danger, as evidenced by the Jan. 2019 explosion in Tlahuelilpan that killed 134 people.
