Tlahuelilpan: a breaking point?

The first image that was shared was common: during the day, dozens or hundreds of people gathered around a fuel leak , filling up all kinds of containers with fuel to later illegally obtain a benefit; this scene had also taken place a few days ago in Acambay, Mexico.

The second image was shocking: at night, the l eak exploded , many died instantly, others were running while they were on fire, others were walking without any clothes and their bodies were burnt. The numbers of deaths increases as times goes by.

This is the worst tragedy caused by fuel theft , a problem Mexico has been facing for over a decade, which has only worsened in time. Fuel theft involves officials , businesspeople , criminal groups and, it has been confirmed once again, a part of society .

For the first time, a government is trying to face the phenomenon and eradicate it, after documenting that fuel theft represents a serious economic loss for the country and after having modified the fuel distribution mechanism in order to prevent theft.

Will Friday's events in the state of Hidalgo become a mitigating factor for the commission of the wrongful act ? What will prevent society from getting involved in fuel theft ?

Those who lost their lives were committing a crime since they have done the same on several occasions; in minutes, they arrived at with barrels and containers to steal fuel , and no one had ever been held accountable. The federal government has the opportunity to send a message in regards to fuel theft ; it will be punished at every level. The deterrence strategy has to begin by applying the penalty specified by the law.

Until last night, there was no criminal investigation in regards to the explosion, despite the announcement made a few days ago, when the government revealed that the pipelines would be monitored by the army . The drilling of the pipeline in Tlahuelilpan , even if it had taken place a long time ago, must have been intentional and there must one or several perpetrators .

If the magnitude of this tragedy doesn't modify the permissiveness and indifference that took place during several administrations , if society doesn't distinguish between what is allowed and what is illegal , and if it doesn't act according to the law , the country would have lost a chance to decisively move towards legality and to prevent impunity .

The results of Mexico’s fuel theft crackdown

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