Mexico City fuel thieves tap pipeline in graveyard

MEXICO CITY – Fuel thieves who drill illegal taps into government pipelines in Mexico are becoming bolder.

Taps were once drilled largely in rural areas but are now being found in Mexico City. But hiding them is a challenge in an urban environment.

Police have found taps in tunnels and under buildings, and now Mexico City police have found two thieves milking a tap in an unusual locale: a cemetery where a pipeline runs underground.

Police said Tuesday they saw two men working between tombs in the graveyard on the city’s north side. The men had run a hose through a wall to two trucks equipped with tanks waiting outside. Both men tried to run but one was arrested.

An average of 42 illegal taps are drilled into pipelines across Mexico every day.