MEXICO CITY — Police are investigating in Mexico after thieves stole freight containers filled with partially refined ore as well as television sets.
The president of the Mexican Employers Federation confirmed that thieves stole 20 freight containers from the Pacific coast seaport of Manzanillo, The Associated Press reported. The containers were filled with partially refined gold and silver ore, as well as television sets.
The burglary was described by local media as ‘the theft of the century,’ and according to Barron’s, the thieves incapacitated the port’s security teams before using cranes and trucks to take the containers.
“This was a very serious organized crime operation,” Horacio Duarte, the head of Mexico’s customs service, told the AP.
The thieves took eight to 10 hours to commit the crime, and focused on stealing precious metals and things like air conditioning units, Barron’s reported.
While freight theft is a problem in Mexico, typical crimes involve single trucks being hijacked on highways, according to the AP.
The president of the Mexican Employers Federation, Jose Medina Mora, told the AP that the large-scale robbery was a sign of rising crime.
“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.”
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