A recent operation in Houston, Texas, targeting an oil company, is reportedly aimed at uncovering irregularities in a hydrocarbon smuggling scheme allegedly linked to Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, son of former Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
According to information from Código Magenta, agents from the FBI, the IRS, and Homeland Security carried out a search warrant last Thursday, seizing computers and servers to investigate alleged massive shipments of diesel and gasoline that entered Mexico without paying taxes over the past seven years.
It was detailed that they are seeking to uncover alleged illicit activities in a scheme that places “Andy” López Beltrán at the epicenter of this illegal business. He allegedly used a network of friends within Pemex to falsify import permits, passing off diesel and gasoline as cheap oils without paying taxes.
The scheme under investigation, known as “fiscal fuel theft,” allegedly involved the falsification of import permits within Pemex. According to reports, the network allowed fuel shipments to be falsely reported as lubricating oils to evade taxes.
One emblematic case cited is that of the vessel Torm Agnes, which in March 2025 transported 120,000 barrels of diesel from Canada to Mexican ports using allegedly altered documentation. This tax fraud is estimated to have generated profits exceeding $25 billion.
The investigation by U.S. authorities seeks to establish direct links between the documentation of Ikon Midstream and the network of Pemex officials allegedly orchestrated by López Beltrán, along with figures such as Daniel Asaf and Marcos Herrería.
Furthermore, authorities are seeking to establish the relationship between the Texas-based oil company and the Mexican firm Intanza, which intelligence agencies have identified as a suspected front for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operating in Monterrey.
Whether Andrés López Beltrán will face trial in the United States depends on the analysis of documents and digital files seized in Houston. If the agencies can prove a link between the falsified permits, the network of influence within the Mexican state-owned oil company, and the aforementioned criminal organizations, the case would be transferred to U.S. courts.
Source: politico
