On 2026-09-04, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated during her morning press conference that the federal investigation into fiscal fuel theft ('huachicol fiscal') comprises three principal lines of inquiry: the seizure of a vessel in Tampico, the entry of ferro tankers at border customs such as Piedras Negras, and fuel theft from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) pipelines. ^[1] Farías Laguna faces accusations of being a leader in a fuel smuggling network known as huachicol fiscal, which operated at customs. ^[2] Fernando Farías Laguna, a former Mexican Navy admiral, is detained at the Altiplano maximum-security prison after returning to Mexico on August 21. ^[3] She said SEMAR filed the complaints that combined with prior inquires by the Attorney General's Office (FGR) under Alejandro Gertz Manero, leading to the arrest of two people who had been associated with the Secretariat of the Navy. ^[4] Sheinbaum claimed that an alternate circuit involves ferro-tanks entering from the U.S. via land border customs, particularly Piedras Negras and other customs, and that the firm Ingemar imported fuels illegally, which resulted in the detention of former Baja California Governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel. ^[5] Sheinbaum recalled that during the previous year (2025), Mexico's Secretariat of Navy (SEMAR) seized a vessel in Tampico that had declared ceramic chemical products; inspection found it was actually attempting to import diesel illegally to avoid paying taxes, declared by SEMAR. ^[6] Fernando Farías Laguna claimed that the case against him is biased. ^[7]