MEXICO CITY — Fuel thieves in Mexico drilled 10,363 illegal taps into state-owned pipelines in 2017, or an average of about 28 every day.

The government-owned oil company Pemex reported Wednesday that illegal taps rose about 50 percent last year, from 6,873 in 2016.

Those are just the taps that have been found. Many others are believed to be still working surreptitiously, drawing off gasoline or diesel that is sold illegally by vendors or even through established gas stations.

Pemex said in a statement that the authorities had closed 70 gas stations for selling presumably stolen fuel to drivers. The company said patrols and other surveillance were increased and that almost four million gallons of stolen fuel had been recovered.