Businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú, owner of the Miss Universe pageant, is identified by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) as the leader of a criminal network dedicated to illegal fuel trafficking, drug trafficking, and arms sales. According to LatinUs, the scheme used containers and rafts, and the stolen fuel was even sold to the public transportation system in the State of Mexico known as Mexibús.
La Silla Rota reported this Wednesday that Soluciones Gasíferas del Sur, a company owned by Rocha Cantú, received contracts from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) worth nearly 2 billion pesos.
Stolen Fuel Through the Usumacinta River
According to the FGR case file, revealed by LatinUs, the criminal network led by Rocha Cantú transported stolen fuel from Guatemala across the Usumacinta River, which serves as a natural border between Mexico and that country.
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The operational method for moving the illegal fuel included using rafts to cross the river. Once inside Mexican territory, the gasoline was transported in water tankers and 20,000-liter containers.
The investigation details that the criminal operations were not limited to the border area; the group also operated in Chiapas, Villahermosa (Tabasco), and Querétaro.
Sales to Mexibús and Bribes to Authorities
One of the investigation’s key revelations is the destination of the illegal fuel: it was even sold to Mexibús in the State of Mexico.
To ensure the movement of the stolen fuel, the network bribed Mexican authorities. The case file indicates that 80 centavos per liter were paid to agents of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO). Another section of the file states that 18 centavos per liter were paid to public prosecutors assigned to FEMDO.
In addition to fuel trafficking, the FGR is investigating the group for alleged drug trafficking from Guatemala to Mexico and the purchase of weapons destined for cartels such as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Unión Tepito.
Million-Dollar Pemex Contracts
Parallel to its alleged illicit activity, Soluciones Gasíferas del Sur—founded in Monterrey in 2020 and owned by Rocha Cantú—received significant contracts from Pemex Exploration and Production (PEP).
The state-owned company awarded two contracts to the firm in January 2023, totaling approximately 1.941 billion pesos, according to documentation from La Silla Rota.
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