The official reason given for the shortage is that deliveries were curtailed after Pemex security guards at the distribution plant in El Salto detained 21 tanker drivers, suspected of pilfering gasoline and other fraudulent practices. The employees were subsequently handed over to officers from the federal Attorney General’s Office (PGR), who impounded 19 tankers.
The alert was raised on Saturday, July 19 when Pemex security guards apparently noticed inconsistencies in the documentation for the gasoline that the drivers were about to distribute throughout the metropolitan area.
Each of the tankers contains between 20,000 and 30,000 liters. With one-third of the city’s tanker fleet out of service, Pemex officials are studying the possibility of hiring substitute staff and tankers to make up the delivery shortfall. One company official said he thought gasoline deliveries could be back to normal by this weekend.
Gas stations in the Tonala and Tlaquepaque suburbs of Guadalajara are the most affected.
Shortages have also been reported in zones outside the metro area. On Thursday, staff at the Pemex gasolineria on the Libramiento in Ajijic said they had run out of gasoline. In marked contrast to Pemex’s official stance, a source reckoned it might be a week before deliveries are back to normal.
Families of the detained Pemex employees staged a protest outside the Pemex plant in San Juan de Ocotan to demand the release of their relatives.