Mexican authorities have dismantled four clandestine oil refineries and seized approximately 6,300 barrels of petroleum derivatives, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The operation, which targeted illegal processing sites, removed nearly one million litres of fuel from the unregulated market.
The seizure highlights the persistent challenge of informal refining in Mexico, a sector that has grown significantly in recent years.
While the volume seized is modest relative to national production, the continued existence of these facilities poses safety, environmental, and tax-revenue risks.
Authorities have increasingly targeted these operations as part of a broader effort to formalize the downstream energy sector.
This development follows a similar crackdown in Nigeria, where the navy recently dismantled nine illegal refining sites in Rivers State, seizing over 100,000 litres of stolen crude.