While widespread 

fuel theft (“huachicol”) is a major crisis in Mexico, there is no evidence of a recent or widespread issue of large-scale windmill (wind turbine) theft in the country. 

The available information suggests:

• Fuel Theft: Organized crime groups in Mexico are heavily involved in stealing fuel from pipelines and smuggling it across borders, a multibillion-dollar issue that the government is actively fighting. This activity is a significant source of revenue for cartels.
• Small-Scale/Historical Incidents: A specific, isolated incident from 1962 involved a small windmill being stolen from a U.S. National Park near the Mexican border and tracked into Mexico. Another incident in Texas involved the theft of copper wiring from the base of a windmill. These appear to be isolated cases of general theft, not a specific trend.
• Industry Issues: The wind energy industry in Mexico faces other challenges, such as land disputes with indigenous communities and allegations of human rights and environmental standard violations, rather than physical theft of entire turbines.
• Trade Secret Theft: A notable case of “theft” in the wind industry involved a Chinese company, Sinovel, stealing trade secrets (software) from a U.S. company, not a physical theft of hardware in Mexico. 

In summary, the primary “theft” issue related to energy in Mexico is fuel theft (huachicol), not the theft of wind turbines.