Various LPG associations have come together to denounce “Huachigas”, which has become a serious problem, particularly in the center of the country, since the first three years of the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, theft of the Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipelines jumped 1,000%.
Carlos Serrano, president of the Mexican Association of LPG Distributors and Related Companies (Amexgas), explained that in 2018 there were 215 clandestine LPG intakes and by the end of 2021 there were 2,402.
This means that before LPG was taken in secret every other day, there are now 7 per day; “This is a very significant increase and it has a strong impact on society,” he said.
The businessmen discovered that this crime had been exacerbated after the government’s strategy to reduce huachiculo from gasoline, a fight that was effective, but LPG theft increased.
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94% of secret taps are concentrated in four states: Puebla, State of Mexico, Tlaxcala and Veracruz.
According to Luis Landeros, president of ADG, 8% of the LPG sold in the country is stolen, but on average, that averages between 15% and 20%.
Each month, nationally, between 60,000 and 65,000 tons of LPG are thrown out illegally, but the largest distribution (44,000 tons) is focused on the 18 municipalities of the State of Mexico, Puebla, Queretaro, Morelos and Hidalgo, as well as in city halls. from Mexico City.
44,000 tons of “Huachiga” represents 1,100 million pesos per month, which stops paying VAT and affects about 4.6 million people. Landeros charged that there are 20 criminal groups that dominate the right to land in the center of the country, even controlling prices.
In light of this, ADG, Amexgas, Adigas and the Regional Gas Chamber called on federal and local governments to implement a program focused on solving the problem of gas theft and distribution.
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