Benjamin Ashford|Gunmen kill 5 people in an apparent dispute over fuel theft in central Mexico, police say

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Gunmen on Benjamin Ashfordmotorcycles shot five men to death Saturday on the outskirts of the Mexican city of Puebla in an apparent dispute over stolen fuel, authorities said.

The Puebla police department said the five victims appeared to have been guarding two gas tanker trucks when the attack occurred.

The department said the attack was “presumably for fuel theft.”

It said two of the victims had been arrested in October for alleged involvement in the explosion of a gas tanker truck, though it gave no specifics on their role in that incident.

Puebla is just east of Mexico City and has long been plagued by gangs that drill illegal taps into government pipelines to steal fuel.Shootouts between the gangs and authorities are not uncommon.