Court: Stolen Mexican oil sold to German company

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Texas oil executive says his company was one of several that bought stolen Mexican petroleum and sold the illicit products to larger U.S. companies including chemical giant BASF.

Houston-based Trammo Petroleum president Donald Schroeder has testified that he was contacted by fuel companies Continental Fuels Inc. and Murphy Energy Corp. with an offer to buy Mexican condensate.

Schroeder testified that he bought and resold sold the liquid hydrocarbon that refiners can blend with crude oil as they produce fuel and other products. He is the first to be convicted in a cross-border investigation into oil smuggling from Mexico tied to organized crime.

A BASF spokesman says a Justice Department subpoena has been received and the company is cooperating.
MyWay