Tigers, hyenas and camel found in Mexico fuel raids

Mexican authorities said Thursday they rescued 135 animals, including Bengal tigers, mandrills, hyenas and a camel, during military raids on a fuel smuggling ring in Tamaulipas, a northeastern state on the US border.

The animals were found at a ranch and also included lions, buffalo, sulcata tortoises, spider monkeys, jaguars, an American bison and a green macaw. Authorities said 35 of the animals, including the green macaw and sulcata tortoise, are classified as endangered species.

The operation targeted smugglers of gasoline and diesel brought from the United States into Mexico and resold tax-free. Mexican authorities have linked the trade to organized crime gangs, including drug cartels.

During raids on five properties, the military seized 68,000 liters of diesel, fuel tanks, pumps, firearms and tools, authorities said. One person was arrested.

Mexican authorities have previously rescued exotic animals from properties owned by wealthy drug traffickers. They cracked down on fuel smuggling in 2025, when high-ranking navy officers and officials were implicated in the illegal trade. About 10 billion liters of black market fuel were seized then in Tamaulipas.

The attorney general's office on Thursday formally charged Fernando Farias, a high-ranking officer expelled last week from Argentina, with fuel smuggling. Former Tamaulipas governor Ernesto Ruffo was also recently arrested on fuel theft charges.