Resumen Informativo
FreightWatch International 2011 Mexico Cargo Theft Report
February 7, 2011
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Cargo Theft in Mexico
Double‐digit increases in the annual rate of cargo theft cargo theft over the past half dozen years, coupled with the extreme nature of the theft incidents themselves, make cargo theft one of the most serious threats to the supply chain industry in Mexico. Today, more than 10,000 hijackings occur each year on roads and highways across the country, with losses reaching an estimated $9 billion USD. Cargo Theft Incidents 2011
Over the years Mexican cargo thieves have grown more sophisticated and more specialized. Nowadays they tend to target high‐demand products, meaning those items they are sure will net high prices when sold through the black market. The powerful gangs of today also have established relationships with drug cartels and corrupt police officers who facilitate thefts in exchange for payoffs. Some gangs also
FreightWatch • 7501 Capital of Texas Hwy, Suite A120 • Austin, Texas 78731 • 512.225.6490 www.freightwatchintl.com
extort custom agents, warehouse employees and security guards at truck yards, using the threat of violence to glean valuable information about cargo or to gain access to facilities to commit thefts. Over the past two years gangs have increasingly employed GPS jammers to block the signal of the positioning devices installed on trucks or trailers, thus thwarting attempts by supply chain and security professionals to track the culprits and locate stolen cargo. In one important aspect, however, Mexico’s cargo thieves continue to display a serious lack of finesse. More than 84% of all cargo thefts in the country are considered hijackings and 80% of those occur in the middle of a highway, with driver kidnapping and violence or the threat of violence involved. Although drivers usually are held captive only temporarily, any driver who resists a hijacking attempt faces a serious beating, or worse. This differs significantly from the pattern of cargo theft in the United States, where better‐educated gang members rely on preoperational planning and intelligence‐gathering to carry out smooth, nonviolent crimes. Steady cargo theft increases of roughly 20% to 40% per year from 2006 to 2010 created serious challenges for companies operating in Mexico, jeopardizing the security of drivers, and increasing transportation and security costs. Despite the annual growth trends through 2010, FreightWatch data for 2011 indicates total cargo thefts rose only 13% for the year. This slowdown may be the result of the growing number of companies that are adopting security measures and increasing investments in security technology. These actions are necessary not only to protect valuable loads, business facilities and warehouses, but to prevent executives, drivers and other personnel from falling victim to surging drug‐related violence.
By State
The top areas for cargo theft incidents in 2011 were the State of Mexico, the Federal District, and the states of Jalisco, Puebla, Veracruz and Nuevo Leon. The Federal District and the State of Mexico together experienced a 9% decrease in cargo theft activity, while Jalisco saw an 11% decrease. Theft rates increased in all the other statewide hot spots for cargo crime: Puebla’s rate soared by 118%, Veracruz’s jumped by 38%, while the rate in Nuevo Leon increased by 27%.
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