135 wild animals seized from cartel zoo as Mexican security forces search for stolen fuel

Mexican authorities searching for stolen fuel instead discovered 135 wild animals being held at a makeshift cartel-operated zoo in the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas.

The shocking discovery came as authorities were investigating a criminal organization allegedly linked to fuel theft in the cities of Tampico and Altamira, México’s Secretariat of the Navy said in a statement Thursday.

A multi-agency team led by the Mexican marines raided the zoo in Altamira, where the criminal group kept 21 Mexican spider monkeys, five Bengal tigers, three African lions, three jaguars and an American bison, among other exotic and endangered animals.

The property also featured an area enclosed in metal bars, where the primates were photographed playing.

The Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection took the animals into custody.

Security forces arrested a man, whose name was not released, and seized four other properties, where the criminal organization allegedly kept at least 68,000 liters of diesel fuel, two oil tankers and containers that were used to store hydrocarbons, communication systems, two firearms and ammunition.

“Through these actions, the institutions of the Security Cabinet reaffirm their commitment to working in a coordinated manner to safeguard, protect, and preserve Mexico’s wildlife,” the Secretariat of the Navy said.

Online news portal Infobae México reported that the Gulf Cartel cell, “Los Rojos,” operated the fuel theft ring. The stolen petrol had a street value of $1.9 million.

The Gulf Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the Department of State in February 2025.

An official with the Tamaulipas State Attorney General’s Office, who spoke under the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, told The Post that Mexican criminal organizations have been known to build a collection of wild animals.

“You see, it’s characteristic of people in that line of work to acquire rare things that signal power – like tigers or lions,” the official said.

“Owning them confers a certain status; it projects an image of such strength or invulnerability that they can keep those kinds of animals under their control.

“There are rumors that they feed the big cats the bodies of people they’ve executed or wanted to torture,” the official said.