• SPIKE: The number of illegal taps drilled into liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) pipelines surged 77 percent in Mexico last year with industry estimating losses for the equivalent of US $1.4 billion and an expansion of LPG black market schemes mainly in central Mexico.
• DATA: According to LPG distribution industry group Amexgas, illegal taps grew from 13,136 in 2019 to 23,323 in 2020. Moreover, illegal taps have expanded beyond the states of Tlaxcala, Veracruz and Puebla. Taps have been found in Querétaro, Hidalgo, Mexico City, State of Mexico, Guanajuato, Jalisco and Tamaulipas.
• IMPACT: “The damage to society caused by the illicit distribution (of LPG) is having an even greater impact as it is the root of insecurity among the population, risk of accidents, threats, extortion, injuries, control of routes, as well as trying to eliminate free competition”, Amexgas said.
• EVOLUTION: In what is considered a worrisome evolution, the LPG industry has now detected the formation of illegal networks and pseudo-labor unions trying to control last-mile gas distribution along specific corridors across Mexico using violent methods.
