Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Mexico's Attorney General's Office said at least eight Mexican ports were under the control of fuel smuggling networks working with port authorities.
The office reported Thursday that ships carrying diesel entered Mexican ports under cargo declarations listing the shipments as oils or industrial additives -- products exempt from the Special Tax on Production and Services -- instead of fuel.
The case that triggered an investigation came in March, when the vessel Challenge Procyon was placed under judicial custody after attempting to bring 10 million liters of diesel illegally through the port of Altamira in Tamaulipas.
The Attorney General's Office said its investigations have led to nationwide operations and the arrest of numerous suspects. Security and Citizen Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed that 14 people were detained as part of a smuggling network operating mainly in Tamaulipas.
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