From the Houston Chronicle

MEXICO CITY — Authorities in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Acuna have started a program to discourage Americans from crossing the border to fill up extra drum, tanks or barrels with subsidized Mexican diesel fuel.

The city government says it has fined Americans in four cases and would impound their vehicles until they pay the fines. Ciudad Acuna is located across the border from Del Rio, Texas.

The city also says it has started informing U.S. drivers that filling up the tanks of their own vehicles is fine, but carrying extra containers home with fuel is a violation of customs and export rules and in some cases is a safety violation.

The city said in a written report on Friday that the first fines were handed out this week. It said city officials would set up information stands to advise visitors about the policy.

The fines being levied were equivalent to 70 percent of the value of the diesel confiscated.

Mexico, a major oil producer, sells fuel at low subsidized prices for domestic consumption, but border filling stations in some cities have seen an uptick in the number of American drivers crossing over to fill up.

That has angered some truckers and drivers in Mexican communities who say the run on filling stations has sometimes caused temporary shortages or longer lines.