Five transnational car theft rings operate in Mexico

Five

out of the 12 transnational criminal groups dedicated to car theft that have been identified by the Interpol are currently operating in Mexico, with tight connections to Guatemala, the United States, and Europe , claimed the Director for International Police Affairs and Interpol from the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) , Francisco Almazán Barocio .

According to the statesman, these criminal rings are operating in the State of Mexico, Mexico City, Puebla, and Querétaro . The stolen vehicles, including luxury cars, are usually transported to other countries in sea containers and by land , posing as products of legitimate trade.

The Director explained that these cars are also often used to commit kidnapping, murder , and even to perform terrorist attacks . “These stolen units have been used to conduct terrorist attacks in several countries by placing explosives on the vehicles,” Almazán Barocio stated at an interview with EL UNIVERSAL.

Car theft in Mexico increased by 19.8% over the past year

At the Interpol’s Third Global Conference on Crimes Related to Car Theft which took place in the state of Quintana Roo , the Director claimed that the incidence of this kind of crime is troubling, but the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic is taking actions to stop it.

Car theft suffered a 27.2% increase in 2017 , according to statistics by the Executive Secretary of Mexico’s National System for Public Security (SESNSP) . In one of three cases , violence is used, ranging from mild physical damage to first-degree murder.

He also mentioned that Mexico had participated at Interpol’s IMPACT operation , in which 1,367 stolen vehicles were recovered and several criminal rings’ internal structures were affected.

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