Transporters from the state of Chiapas refuse to transport cargo through the highways of Veracruz and Puebla, because they are constantly victims of violent robberies, which not only put the merchandise at risk, but even their lives.
The most recent case was recorded in the area of La Esperanza in Puebla, on February 21, when a convoy of four trailers transporting corn was ambushed by a group of men carrying long weapons and tactical equipment.
Three of the cargo trucks managed to evade the checkpoint, however one of them was stopped by the criminals and threatened, forcing him to get off the truck to take it to a deserted place.
Raquel Gordillo Cano, Canacar delegate in the state of Chiapas, said that this type of theft is a constant situation that they face, which generates fear among the transporters and for which reason they no longer want to travel through the areas that include Veracruz, Puebla and Tlaxcala.
“The transporters from Chiapas no longer want cargo, we are afraid, because they are taking away our trucks, the drivers are afraid, (…) we are already refusing to transport,” she declared.
She recalled that the products that they transport the most from Chiapas are coffee, sugar and corn, in addition to the fact that the thieves also sell some of the mechanical parts of the trucks, so that each theft represents heavy financial losses for them.
She said that in addition to this is the expense they face when recovering the units, since they must pay the tow trucks and the impound lots, because the authorities do not allow them to take the trucks on their own.
He added that between January and February alone, ordinary transporters in Chiapas have suffered seven robberies on the highways of Veracruz and Chiapas, so he called on the authorities to take action on the matter.
“The situation is chaotic throughout the region, Veracruz, Puebla and Tlaxcala, we no longer know whether to drive during the day or at night, because they steal anyway, (…) What the bandits did not steal from us, the authorities steal from us,” he said in relation to the fact that they are forced to pay for tow trucks and impound lots.
In relation to the robbery committed on February 21, he said that the criminals place roadblocks, which from a distance can be confused with those normally installed by the authorities, and that is why the drivers slow down.
He said that everything was recorded on one of the truck’s cameras, which have been installed along with other equipment such as GPS, for the security of the units, and in the video you can see how several people carrying long weapons force him to stop.
In it, you can see how the driver is forced to get out of the unit and is left abandoned on the road, while one of the criminals takes control of the truck and drives them to a piece of land off the road.
“It’s like a checkpoint there, and the drivers get distracted and slow down and some manage to react and some don’t, but by chance a patrol car passed by and immediately afterward the shooting begins,” he said.
Gordillo Cano explained that normally the criminals take the trucks to areas where they have greater control and that without being seen they can dispose of the merchandise and the truck in its entirety.
He said that in this specific case the truck was rescued, because it got stuck when leaving the road, so it was abandoned; In addition, three other trucks managed to bypass the checkpoint by not stopping there despite receiving several bullet impacts.
Source: jornada
