Arrest Warrant Issued for Monterrey Businessman Roberto Blanco Cantú, “The Lord of the Ships,” Linked to Fuel Oil

The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has issued an arrest warrant for Monterrey businessman Roberto Blanco Cantú, known as “The Lord of the Ships,” for his involvement in a hydrocarbon smuggling ring.

The investigation links him to crimes such as illegal possession, transportation, and storage of fuel, as well as organized crime.

The Blanco Cantú case, which has been the focus of an exhaustive investigation, is based on a fraudulent fuel importation scheme from the United States. A key point was the arrival of the Challenge Procyon vessel last March at the port of Altamira, Tamaulipas, where it unloaded more than 10 million liters of diesel under false documentation classifying it as “lubricant additives.”

The FGR investigation indicates that the landing of the Challenge Procyon was protected by high-ranking Navy officials assigned to customs. It has been revealed that brothers Roberto and Fernando Farías Laguna, vice admiral and rear admiral of the Navy, respectively, facilitated the entry of at least 31 vessels under this illegal scheme.

Blanco Cantú operated through companies such as Mefra Fletes, Auto Líneas Roca, and Petro Express, which did not have permits to import hydrocarbons. These companies shared addresses and shared legal representatives, suggesting a network designed to systematically divert fuel with complete impunity.