Thieves broke into a warehouse in the Pacific port of Manzanillo and stole 20 containers loaded with partially refined gold and silver ore and televisions, the Mexican Employers’ Federation announced on Monday. Jose Medina Mora, president of the federation, said the large-scale robbery was a sign of growing crime in Mexico. “There is a growing lack of security and this is a sign of what is happening in the country and it requires the authorities to take action,” Medina Mora said. The state of Colima, where Manzanillo is located, has not officially commented on the June 5 robbery. But Horacio Duarte, head of Mexico’s customs service, confirmed the robbery and said organized crime was involved. “It was a very serious organized crime operation,” Duarte said. According to local press reports, about 10 armed thieves broke into a private shipyard near the port, subdued the officers and then took several hours to search for the containers they wanted. Then the thieves apparently tied the containers to trucks and drove with them. No sign of the containers or their contents has been seen since. Theft of goods is a serious problem in Mexico, but it usually involves thieves stealing one truck at a time on highways – not driving 20 containers. Items such as televisions usually sold quickly on the country’s vast black markets, but it was not clear where thieves could sell tons of partially processed gold or silver. Any refiner is likely to ask questions about its origins. Prosecutors and police in Colima had a more pressing problem in their hands, with residents blocking streets to protest the abduction and killing of locals. Two police officers have also been killed in shootings so far this month in the state, which is dominated by the Jalisco drug cartel.
