(Photo: AP)

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's government is investigating the possible sabotage of its liquefied petroleum gas distribution network by competitors of the state-owned oil and gas company Pemex, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday.

"It has not been proven, that's why it's a hypothesis that they don't want Pemex to have gas, that the competition is putting up barriers," Lopez Obrador said at his daily morning press conference.

Next week, Pemex chief Octavio Romero will present a report on the issue, said the president.

Pemex facilities are also being robbed of equipment used to pump export-quality crude, said Lopez Obrador.

Thieves take boats out to Pemex platforms, steal equipment and sell it on the black market for between 5,000 and 6,000 pesos (270 and 320 U.S. dollars), according to Lopez Obrador.

His government has also cracked down on rampant fuel theft.