Mexico was never told of the accusation, Sheinbaum says, after the US Treasury sanctioned 11 people and firms tied to the CJNG without sharing proof.

This article by Fernanda Monroy originally appeared in the July 1, 2026 edition of Contralínea, Mexico’s premier investigative journalism magazine.

The United States Department of the Treasury must hand over the evidence backing its claim that money from a fuel tax fraud network linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was used to finance political campaigns in Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo stated.

The president maintained that the Mexican government was never informed of that accusation, and questioned that the department circulated the claim without first sharing the evidence with national authorities. “We were never informed about the campaigns. What proof do they have, too? It’s the same thing: saying something is happening without any proof.”

The president explained that some of the people flagged by the Treasury Department were already being investigated by the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), so there was coordination between the two governments to follow up on the case. However, she reproached the US authorities for deciding to publish the statement before finishing the joint work.

“The people this statement talks about were also already under investigation by the UIF, but they jump ahead with the statement, they didn’t wait for the joint communication, and they bring up this issue of the campaigns, which we don’t understand where it comes from.”

She compared this case with the measures recently announced by the Treasury Department against three Mexican financial institutions, asserting that back then evidence was also requested to back the claims, and only two pages with no evidentiary elements were handed over. “When we asked them to provide the proof so that we could accompany them in that process, they only sent two pages with no proof.”

She added that demanding evidence is part of the usual cooperation between the two countries, recalling that the United States also requests proof from the Mexican government when it submits extradition requests. “When we have requested, for example, in the case of extradition, they ask us for proof. It is a common practice for proof to be requested on both sides.”

Referring to the fight against fuel tax fraud, Sheinbaum Pardo stated that her administration has reinforced actions to reduce fuel smuggling through customs operations, measures implemented by the Tax Administration Service (SAT), investigations by the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), and financial intelligence work for the seizure and freezing of accounts.

She indicated that there are still various investigation files being assembled with the aim of gathering the elements needed to request new arrest warrants against those responsible for these illicit operations.

“A great deal has been done to reduce fuel smuggling,” she asserted, and stated that one of the main indicators is the increase in sales by Petróleos Mexicanos and by the sector’s private companies, which, she said, reflects a reduction of the illegal fuel market.

The president insisted that the Mexican government keeps its investigations into the fuel tax fraud networks open, and reiterated that cooperation with the United States must be based on the exchange of information and evidence.

President Claudia Sheinbaum’s remarks come after the United States Department of the Treasury—through the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network—imposed sanctions on 11 Mexican people and companies allegedly linked to a fuel tax fraud network tied to the CJNG.

In the face of those accusations, the president reiterated that any accusation related to the alleged financing of political campaigns must be backed by evidence, and lamented that the Treasury Department decided to make those claims public before concluding the coordination it had with the Mexican authorities.

The post Sheinbaum Demands Proof from the US on Alleged Campaign Financing with Fuel Tax Fraud Money appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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