RIO BRAVO, Tamaulipas – Cartel operators in this border region continue to sell stolen fuel as a way to further diversify the criminal organization’s income. Mexican state authorities continue making large-scale seizures of stolen fuel.

This week, Tamaulipas state police found an abandoned delivery truck that held several large plastic containers filled with stolen fuel. According to the Tamaulipas government, the containers had approximately 2,500 liters of fuel believed stolen from nearby pipelines.

Authorities seized the vehicle and turned it over to federal prosecutors for further investigation. The Gulf Cartel in Tamaulipas continues to use the sale of stolen fuel as a way to diversify income. The fuel is stolen by tapping into the pipelines owned by Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). The fuel is then loaded into large containers or trailers and then sold onto a black market where local gas stations are often forced to pump it.

Breitbart Texas reported exclusively on how the Gulf Cartel attacked Pemex security teams while at the same time, silenced border state media outlets.

Last month, federal authorities clashed with a team of cartel gunmen guarding containers filled with stolen fuel in Rio Bravo. Two gunmen died in that shootout.

As Breitbart Texas reported, close to 24 U.S. companies were referenced in various lawsuits and other legal actions in connection with the purchase of fuel stolen by cartels in Mexico.