Buenos Aires, April 23, 2026 — Mexican authorities have confirmed the arrest of a former naval officer in Argentina, marking a significant development in an ongoing fuel smuggling investigation.
Fernando Farías Laguna, who held the rank of contralmirante in Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy, was taken into custody in Buenos Aires on charges related to a scheme known as huachicol fiscal, according to Omar García Harfuch, head of Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection.
The operation, described as a coordinated effort between Mexican naval intelligence, the Attorney General’s Office, federal security agencies, Interpol Mexico, and Argentine authorities, led to Farías’ detention while he was in possession of falsified documents.
García Harfuch announced the arrest on social media, stating that Farías is identified as a presumed leader of a network accused of facilitating the illegal entry of hydrocarbons into Mexico by disguising them as oil or lubricants to evade taxes.
The alleged scheme reportedly enabled the clandestine offloading of fuel-laden vessels at the ports of Altamira and Tampico between 2024 and 2025, implicating other high-ranking naval officials and customs personnel.
Investigators revealed that four naval members, including Farías and his brother, Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías, were subsequently removed from administrative duties.
According to federal sources cited by Infobae México, a judge had granted Farías a definitive suspension of arrest and incarceration following a hearing on September 19, 2025, but that protection was revoked on October 2, allowing Mexican authorities to execute the outstanding arrest warrant.
Farías had been a fugitive from Mexican justice since failing to appear at an initial hearing in the case, which was scheduled at the Federal Penal Justice Center in Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico.
The case continues to draw attention as part of broader efforts to combat organized crime linked to fuel theft and fraud in Mexico’s energy sector.
