Key Takeaways
Mexico (North America) is led by President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Some stories claim cartel money bought political power in Mexico (North America), but public reporting separates allegation from proof.
Fuel crime stories in Mexico (North America) are often easier to document because fuel moves in bulk and leaves records.
Mexico’s federal fuel excise tax, known as IEPS, is a key motive in several reported smuggling methods.
Argentina (South America) has seen strong oil-and-gas momentum tied to its leading shale region, with big projects and export plans.
Story & Details
The subject, stated clearly
This article is about two linked themes in the Americas: claims about criminal influence in politics and the documented business of illegal fuel. It is also about how a major oil-and-gas push in Argentina (South America) shapes jobs, investment, and exports.
Mexico’s current president, clearly named
Mexico (North America) is led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office on October one, two thousand twenty-four. That name matters, because serious topics get distorted fast when basic facts are blurry.
Allegations are not the same as proof
Claims about cartel funding in Mexican politics often travel as if they are already settled. Public reporting treats them with more caution. Investigative reporting by ProPublica described a United States probe into allegations tied to campaign-era claims, and it also reported that a two thousand ten probe found no proof of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s personal involvement in cartel donations before the effort was shut down. The key idea is simple: an allegation can be news; proof is a different bar.
In June two thousand twenty-five, Reuters reported that the United States pressed Mexico (North America) to investigate politicians suspected of cartel ties, and Reuters also reported that President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly denied that account. The signal here is not a clean ending. It is a familiar tension: big accusations, big stakes, and a public argument over what evidence exists.
Fuel crime leaves footprints
Fuel crime is often more visible than political-finance claims, because it runs through tanks, trains, ports, invoices, and tax forms.
On July seven, two thousand twenty-five, the Associated Press reported that Mexican authorities seized about four million gallons of stolen diesel, gasoline, and petroleum distillates from two abandoned trains in Coahuila, Mexico (North America). A haul that large points to logistics and a market, not a small, local theft.
Reuters also described tanker-linked fuel smuggling methods that rely on paperwork tricks, including declaring fuel as a different product to avoid Mexico’s excise burden. In that reporting, the profit is not only the fuel. The profit can be the tax that never gets paid.
The tax engine behind many schemes
IEPS is Mexico’s federal excise tax on certain goods and services, including automotive fuels. In simple terms, when a product is taxed, criminals may try to sell the same product cheaper by dodging that tax. That is why stories about illegal fuel so often mention mislabeling, false documents, and hidden routes.
Another acronym appears in these reports: CJNG, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. A United States Treasury statement published on May one, two thousand twenty-five described sanctions tied to a network linked to CJNG and described fuel theft and crude-oil smuggling as part of how that network generated money.
Argentina’s oil-and-gas pull
Argentina (South America) sits in a different part of the story. The claim heard here was that Argentina (South America) has “a lot of work” because of oil activity. The most cited driver is the Vaca Muerta shale region. Reuters reported several two thousand twenty-five milestones that help explain why the sector can feel like a jobs engine.
On April one, two thousand twenty-five, Reuters reported that Argentina (South America) started exporting gas to Brazil (South America) through Bolivia (South America). On September thirty, two thousand twenty-five, Reuters reported that a major pipeline project to move Vaca Muerta oil was thirty-five percent complete. On October seven, two thousand twenty-five, Reuters reported that drilling and fracking activity was slowing, showing that the pace can change with prices and costs. On December five, two thousand twenty-five, Reuters reported an export deal with Chile’s ENAP, Chile (South America), tied to Vaca Muerta shale oil.
As of December twenty-seven, two thousand twenty-five, the most solid parts of this wider story are the dated, checkable ones: named leaders, published denials, documented seizures, and reported logistics and tax mechanics.
A tiny Dutch phrase kit
Some ideas are easier to remember when they fit in one short line.
“Goedenavond.” Word parts: goed = good, avond = evening. Use: polite greeting in the evening.
“Hoe gaat het?” Word parts: hoe = how, gaat = goes, het = it. Use: friendly “How are you?”
“Dank u wel.” Word parts: dank = thanks, u = you, wel = well. Use: polite “Thank you.”
Conclusions
President Claudia Sheinbaum leads Mexico (North America), and the clearest public record starts with that basic fact. From there, the safest reading habit is steady: treat allegations as claims, treat investigations as unfinished, and treat documented actions as the firm ground.
Fuel cases often provide that ground, because volumes, routes, and seizures can be reported with dates and numbers. Political-finance claims can be serious and still remain unproven in public. The difference is not just legal. It is how trust is built.
Selected References
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/sheinbaum-be-sworn-first-woman-president-mexican-history-2024-10-01/
[2] https://apnews.com/article/mexico-fuel-theft-pemex-cartels-ff2d6b13985219c790f9c8cd3a0c2c34
[3] https://www.propublica.org/article/mexico-amlo-dea-probe-cartel-campaign-donations
[4] https://www.reuters.com/investigations/how-dark-fleet-tankers-helped-mexican-cartel-build-fuel-smuggling-empire-2025-10-22/
[5] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-pushes-mexico-prosecute-politicians-with-ties-drug-cartels-2025-06-11/
[6] https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexicos-president-denies-reuters-report-us-push-investigate-narco-politicians-2025-06-12/
[7] https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0125
[8] https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/argentina-starts-gas-exports-through-bolivia-brazil-firm-says-2025-04-01/
[9] https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/construction-vaca-muerta-pipeline-argentina-is-35-complete-official-says-2025-09-30/
[10] https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/slowing-vaca-muerta-oil-activity-could-pose-challenge-argentinas-milei-2025-10-07/
[11] https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/ypf-vista-shell-equinor-ink-shale-oil-export-deal-with-chiles-enap-2025-12-05/
[12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQBy54ku92E
Appendix
AMLO: A common short name for Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a former president of Mexico (North America).
CJNG: The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a major criminal group based in Mexico (North America) that appears in United States sanctions and in reporting about fuel theft and smuggling.
Diesel: A widely used fuel for trucks and industry; it is often targeted because it moves in large volumes and is easy to resell.
Dutch phrase kit: A small set of everyday greetings and polite lines in Dutch that can be reused in daily life, built from simple word parts.
Excise tax: A tax applied to specific goods such as fuels; it is often included in the final price paid by consumers.
Evidence: Information that can be checked and tested, such as documents, records, dated reporting, and confirmed actions.
IEPS: Mexico’s federal excise tax on certain goods and services, including automotive gasoline and diesel.
Shale: Rock that can produce oil and gas using advanced drilling and completion methods, usually needing large investment.
Vaca Muerta: Argentina’s best-known shale oil-and-gas region, central to many pipeline plans and export efforts in Argentina (South America).
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 