Mexico closes seven gas stations selling stolen fuel

Mexico closed seven service stations Thursday for allegedly selling gasoline and diesel stolen from state-run pipelines, the first confirmation that large amounts of fuel siphoned from illegal pipeline taps are being sold through officially sanctioned gas stations.

An official of the state-run Pemex oil company said authorities had caught red-handed such sales at a total of 14 stations — seven in Puebla, one of the states hit hardest by pipelines thefts, and seven elsewhere in Mexico. The official didn’t say why only seven had been shut down.

Source: Associated Press