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Avocados, auto parts and ambushes: Inside Mexico's cargo theft crisis

Avocados, auto parts and ambushes: Inside Mexico's cargo theft crisis

Yahoo15-05-2025

Cargo theft remains a critical threat to logistics networks across Mexico, with the first quarter of 2025 revealing both troubling trends and tactical shifts in criminal behavior. According to Overhaul's Q1 2025 Cargo Theft Report, an overwhelming 81% of all cargo theft incidents reported nationwide involved violence, highlighting the persistent danger facing drivers and supply chain operators.
Geographically, theft was highly concentrated. Nearly 78% of cargo thefts occurred in Mexico's central and Southeast regions, with the central region alone accounting for 61% of all incidents. Two states, Mexico and Puebla, each reported 19% of the national total, maintaining their status as the most dangerous regions for cargo transport. Additionally, theft in Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí surged, each rising by 3 percentage points compared to Q1 2024.
A deeper look into temporal patterns shows that 82% of all thefts occurred from Monday through Friday, with peak activity from Tuesday through Friday (69%). The most dangerous time windows were 6 p.m. to midnight (31% of incidents) and 6 a.m. to noon (28%), aligning with common cargo movement schedules and suggesting targeted strikes during transit shifts.
Food and beverage shipments were the top target, representing 34% of thefts. This category saw a 5-percentage-point increase over Q1 2024, with avocados identified as a specific high-value item. Other rising categories included auto parts (up 4 points), particularly tires and electrical components, and chemicals such as detergents and plastics (up 1 point). Home and garden products, especially appliances, also saw a modest increase in theft.In terms of tactics, criminals primarily intercepted trucks in motion, accounting for 62.6% of cases. The theft of parked vehicles accounted for 36.8%, often occurring in zones associated with fuel theft and organized crime.
Overhaul also shared a notable success story in Queretaro, where its Mission Security Operations Center tracked a compromised food shipment in real time. After the truck's engine was remotely disabled and then forcibly reactivated by criminals, the MSOC coordinated with the National Guard to intercept the perpetrators, rescue the driver and recover the stolen cargo.
To mitigate ongoing threats, Overhaul recommends transiting during daylight hours and implementing a multilayered security approach combining physical and electronic safeguards. Its platform, for example, provides real-time tracking, behavioral alerts and predictive analytics powered by GPS, weather and historical crime data.
Freight fraud has gone digital and more dangerous. According to Descartes, fraud in today's transportation landscape extends well beyond stolen cargo. Tactics like spoofed GPS signals, fake identities and double-brokering are costing brokers and shippers millions, while leaving behind complex digital fingerprints. Fortunately, visibility platforms are becoming a powerful line of defense.By layering real-time location tracking with AI-powered behavioral analysis, carriers can now detect red flags such as ping gaps, out-of-route movements, suspicious VoIP contacts and high-risk delivery stops. Fraud prevention doesn't stop on the road. Tools that verify VIN geolocation, insurance status and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration authority during onboarding help keep bad actors out from the start.
Want to learn expert ways to leverage your visibility technology to fight fraud?Check out the Descartes and FreightWaves white paper here.
In this episode of Check Call with Mary O'Connell, we get into some freight fraud trends that are more commonplace than double brokering. Her guest, Michael Grace, VP of customer risk management at Highway, breaks down how carrier sales reps and shippers can be a first line of defense against fraud.
Cargo theft. Identity spoofing. Double-brokering.If it sounds like a heist movie, it's because it practically is.
Join Elizabeth Moscoso, president of Moscoso Express, and FreightWaves' own Grace Sharkey as they expose the tricks of the trade — and the tech, trust and tactics needed to stay one step ahead.
Expect:
Real stories from the front lines of freight fraud.
Smart compliance strategies that actually work.
How Moscoso Express builds a fraud-proof foundation.
You don't need a badge to bust bad actors — just this chat.Register for FreightWaves' virtual summit on May 21 here.
From the Fraud DeskCheck Call: TIA's annual fraud report spotlights surge in incidents
Insurance costs, fraud and cargo theft hit Landstar's Q1
Cyberthreats surge against US logistics infrastructure
2025 FreightWaves Fraud Fighters Awards recognize FreightTech innovators
Articles by Grace Sharkey
The post Avocados, auto parts and ambushes: Inside Mexico's cargo theft crisis appeared first on FreightWaves.

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Protests intensify in Los Angeles after Trump deploys National Guard troops
Protests intensify in Los Angeles after Trump deploys National Guard troops

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Protests intensify in Los Angeles after Trump deploys National Guard troops

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Let's get this straight: 1) Local law enforcement didn't need help. 2) Trump sent troops anyway — to manufacture chaos and violence. 3) Trump succeeded. 4) Now things are destabilized and we need to send in more law enforcement just to clean up Trump's mess. — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025 Mr Trump responded to Mr McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks. 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' he wrote. Starting in the morning, the troops stood shoulder to shoulder, carrying long guns and riot shields as protesters shouted 'shame' and 'go home'. After some closely approached the guard members, another set of uniformed officers advanced on the group, shooting smoke-filled canisters into the street. Minutes later, the Los Angeles Police Department fired rounds of crowd-control munitions to disperse the protesters, who they said were assembled unlawfully. Much of the group then moved to block traffic on the 101 freeway until state patrol officers cleared them from the roadway by late afternoon. Nearby, at least four self-driving Waymo cars were set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned. By evening, police had issued an unlawful assembly order shutting down several blocks of downtown Los Angeles. Flash bangs echoed out every few seconds into the evening. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom requested that Mr Trump remove the guard members in a letter on Sunday afternoon, calling their deployment a 'serious breach of state sovereignty'. He was in Los Angeles meeting local law enforcement and officials. The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's national guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. 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Newsom plans to sue Trump admin over National Guard deployment to LA even as LAPD chief admits cops are ‘overwhelmed' by violent anti-ICE riots
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Newsom plans to sue Trump admin over National Guard deployment to LA even as LAPD chief admits cops are ‘overwhelmed' by violent anti-ICE riots

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REUTERS Newsom debuted his soon-to-be-filed lawsuit against the Trump administration later Sunday evening and accused the president of being 'a stone-cold liar.' In his announcement, he claimed that Trump 'never once' mentioned the National Guard when the two talked on Friday. 'It was a very civil conversation. I've always wanted to approach engagement with the President of the United States in a respectful and responsible way. But there's no working with the president, there's only working for him. And I will never work for Donald Trump,' Newsom said. President Trump on Saturday ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to be dispatched to the protests. As of Sunday, roughly 300 had arrived, with 1,700 waiting in the wings. 8 Demonstrators partially shut down the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles. ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Still, some Trump officials decided even that wasn't enough to cap the 2,000-man protests. 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LA Mayor Karen Bass echoed Newsom's sentiments, arguing the presence of the National Guard would only make things worse. 8 As of Sunday, roughly 300 members of the National Guard were in Los Angeles. Getty Images 'Deploying federalized troops on the heels of these raids is a chaotic escalation,' she said in a statement. 'If you want there to be chaos, then have troops on the ground when there is absolutely no need for that to happen,' she later added. Trump slammed both Newsom and Bass in a Truth Social post late Sunday night and claimed 'paid insurrectionists' were responsible for the riots. 'Governor Gavin Newscum and 'Mayor' Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots,' he wrote. 'These are not protesters, they are troublemakers and insurrectionists.' 'Looking really bad L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' Trump later posted.

Glendale terminates ‘divisive' detainee holding contract with ICE
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Glendale terminates ‘divisive' detainee holding contract with ICE

Glendale officials announced on Sunday night that the city has terminated its contract with U.S. Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house immigration detainees, calling the public's perception of the agreement 'divisive.' 'This is a local decision and was not made lightly,' the city stated in a release. The city announced it will no longer house federal immigration detainees at the Glendale Police Department facility after a day of violent protests in Los Angeles over recent ICE raids and the federalization and deployment of the National Guard. 'By offering local access, detainees were given due-process proximity that is too often lacking in more remote or privately-operated detention centers,' the release added. 'Nevertheless, despite the transparency and safeguards the City has upheld, the City recognizes that public perception of the ICE contract—no matter how limited or carefully managed, no matter the good—has become divisive. And while opinions on this issue may vary — the decision to terminate this contract is not politically driven. It is rooted in what this City stands for—public safety, local accountability, and trust.' Waymos lit on fire, KTLA van defaced as Los Angeles protests spin out of control City officials went on to say that, similar to other local police departments in L.A. areas, their officers do not enforce immigration law. However, the city noted that police will continue to ensure that the city's residents and businesses do not 'suffer the consequences of the unruly and unlawful behavior of others. Moving forward, the facility will continue to serve local law enforcement needs without participation in federal detention efforts.' 'Glendale is consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in the nation. That is no accident. The Glendale Police Department is trusted and supported by the residents and businesses,' continued the statement. 'At this time, it is in our best interest to not allow that trust to be undermined.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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