Former Tampico Customs Director Exposes Fuel Oil Network; Charges of 1.7 Million MXN Per Ship

The former director of Tampico Customs between 2023 and 2025, who is now a protected witness for the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), was the one who exposed the existence of a fuel oil ring operating in that port under the control of the Los Primos organization, headed by Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna and his brother, Rear Admiral Fernando Farías, nephews of former Secretary of the Navy José Rafel Ojeda Durán.

According to his testimony, to which MILENIO had access, it is a network that corrupted sailors and customs personnel through multimillion-dollar payments, with each ship reporting a “quota” of 1.75 million pesos in bribes.

In total, six ships loaded with millions of liters of contraband fuel docked up to 14 times at that port, with the complicity of personnel from Mexico’s National Customs Agency (ANAM).

The former director of customs, whose official rank is captain, became a cooperating witness for the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) under the code name Santo, and thanks to his testimony, previously unpublished details now exist about how the fiscal huachicol (fuel theft) operated in the final stretch of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s six-year term.

In this case, and according to his statement, the smuggling was sustained by the corruption of naval personnel at customs facilities and the creation of falsified manifests, elements that allowed the Farias to operate an unprecedented smuggling operation for at least a year and a half.

According to information obtained by this newspaper, during his time as a collaborator with Los Primos, Santo was responsible for distributing nearly 25 million pesos in bribes.