Bloomberg has an article entitled Highway Robberies Are Now Just Part of Doing Business in Mexico. It describes yet another problem facing Mexico.
From the article: “Late one Friday night, a truck carrying sound equipment for legendary cumbia band Los Angeles Azules was pulled over along the Mexico-Puebla highway. Police at the checkpoint were in fact bandits, and upon seeing the pricey cargo they drew their guns and drove off with the loot. The driver and another passenger were left stranded by the side of the road, unharmed except for some hearing damage from a warning shot the robbers fired. The band publicized the May 9 incident on social media and it was raised a few days later at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press briefing, where she called in the National Guard to investigate.”
“The episode caught widespread attention because of the band’s fame, but hundreds of similar incidents are taking place on Mexico’s highways every week — about one theft attempt every 50 minutes — turning the nation’s major commercial arteries into gauntlets. And unlike Los Angeles Azules, whose $420,000 in gear was eventually returned, most victims suffer the cost of stolen goods without hope for recovery or justice.”
“Robbery attempts jumped by more than a third in the first two months of 2025 from the previous year, according to Hector Romero, president of Circulo Logistico, an industry group that represents 25 cargo, private security and logistics companies. Cargo thefts topped 24,000 in 2024, up about 16%, data from transportation risk consultancy Overhaul show. That trails the US and Europe in total incidents. But in loss-ratio terms, which compare the number of thefts to economic activity, Mexico is the worst in the world.”
“Transporting cargo in Latin America’s second-largest economy has become ‘a very significant problem that has fundamentally broken our supply chains,’ Romero said. In Brazil, the region’s largest economy, incident numbers aren’t growing nearly as fast as in Mexico, the data show.”
“Surging highway crime is just one facet of the massive security crisis Sheinbaum is facing in Mexico. Though her government boasts of its record drug seizures, elimination of clandestine laboratories and efforts to reduce the number of homicides, cargo theft is spiraling out of control.”
“Heists take many forms. From fake checkpoints to blowing tires with spike strips and straight-up accosting drivers who stop for coffee at gunpoint, criminals take advantage of the relatively few resources the Mexican government has to fight the problem.”
“ ‘It’s old-school crime,’ said Troy Ryley, Mexico president of Chicago-based Echo Global Logistics. ‘In the US, we’re seeing a lot more cargo theft through fraud. That’s becoming the trend and the more sophisticated way of stealing cargo,’ he added. ‘In Mexico, there’s guns involved and hijackings.’ ”
Why has this been getting worse?
“Explanations for the rise in robberies are many. With Mexico’s exports steadily increasing, there’s more to steal, often of increasing value. The country is awash in guns, many entering illegally from the US. And perpetrators are rarely caught and punished, with some experts saying a decision by Sheinbaum’s predecessor to eliminate the federal police in favor of creating the National Guard made matters worse. Demand is also a driving factor. ‘There’s a black market for everything,’ Romero explained.”
“With thieves targeting goods ranging from baby formula to clothes, electronics and auto parts, as well as cigarettes, alcohol and fresh produce, the economic losses from cargo theft exceed 7 billion pesos ($368 million) annually, according to Circulo Logistico’s estimates. That figure includes the value of the stolen merchandise, damage to or loss of vehicles, supply chain impacts and operational costs for companies.”
“In addition to the monetary cost, the situation is also taking a toll on truckers, who’re working in increasingly untenable conditions. The industry is already facing a shortage of 70,000 drivers nationwide, Romero said, and recruiting under the current conditions is no easy feat.”
Most of these heists are taking place in central Mexico: “Over 80% of thefts happen in Mexico State, Puebla, Guanajuato, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi and Veracruz, according to the most recent data. The central region is home to important industrial and logistics corridors, as well as myriad criminal groups, given its proximity to the capital.”
Here’s a map:
It’s a big problem.