(CMR) Ten armed robbers reportedly broke into a freight storage area at the Pacific coast seaport of Manzanillo and stole 20 freight containers loaded with partly refined gold and silver ore and television sets, the Mexican Employers Federation has reported.
On Monday, José Medina Mora, president of the federation, said the large-scale robbery was a sign of rising crime in Mexico, CBS News reported.
“There is a growing lack of safety, and this is a sign of what is happening in the country, and it requires that authorities take action,” Medina Mora said.
Horacio Duarte, the head of Mexico's customs service, confirmed the robbery, stating, “This was a very serious organized crime operation.”
Reports are that the thieves forced their way into a private freight dispatch yard near the port, subdued employees, and then took several hours to search for the shipping containers they wanted. They then hooked up the containers to trucks and drove away with them. No sign of the containers, or their contents, has been seen since.
According to CBS, freight theft is a serious problem in Mexico, but it usually involves thieves hijacking one truck at a time on highways.
Crime and violence has been a major social issue in Mexico. Residents have been blocking roads to protest the kidnapping and killing of locals recently. Two police officers were also shot to death this month in the state, which has been dominated by the Jalisco drug cartel, CBS reported.
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