State Free of Major Highway Robberies

Lorena del Valle Luna, the Bajío regional coordinator of Mexico’s cargo trucking chamber CANACAR, said on May 12 that Aguascalientes remains outside the country’s main highway cargo-theft hotspots. She attributed that position to a state “blindaje” security strategy and coordination among state, municipal and federal authorities. Her comments came even as carriers in the region continue to describe highway robbery as a national risk and after a robbery was reported in the state on May 8. Aguascalientes sits next to states including Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, areas that transport operators often mention in discussions of road security, according to Del Valle Luna’s remarks to local media. She said inspection points, mobility controls and surveillance operations on access roads have helped keep spillover crime from entering the state. (lja.mx) ### Why did CANACAR say Aguascalientes is outside the main robbery hotspots? Lorena del Valle Luna said Aguascalientes is “not within the ten statistics or numbers of incidence” for crimes tied to cargo transport. She said the key factor was the coordination of authorities across three levels of government, together with a security perimeter at the state’s access points. (lja.mx) The May 12 report in LJA.MX said CANACAR linked that result to monitoring of incoming vehicles and operating conditions for freight companies. Del Valle Luna said the state’s position in the Bajío economic corridor makes security and mobility a constant issue, but she described local coordination as notable compared with the broader national backdrop. (lja.mx) ### What does the “Blindaje Aguascalientes” operation include on the roads? The Aguascalientes state security secretariat said on February 23 that it had reinforced the “Blindaje Aguascalientes” operation on the state’s borders, at five “Puertas de Seguridad,” and on state and federal highways. The agency said the deployment included state police, the Mexican Army, the National Guard and municipal police forces. (lja.mx) Highways 45 north and south, 70 east and west, and 71 west and northeast were listed by the state as priority corridors for reinforced surveillance. The operation also uses cameras linked to the C5i command-and-intelligence center and helicopter overflights, according to Security Secretary Antonio Martínez Romo. ### Did robbery still occur inside Aguascalientes this month? Roberto Díaz Ruiz, president of CANACAR in Aguascalientes, said on May 8 that the first cargo-truck assault of the year had been confirmed in the municipality of San Francisco de los Romo. (lja.mx) He said the truck was carrying dairy products and that the driver was safe. Díaz Ruiz called the incident a “foco rojo” and urged authorities to intensify the highway security shield and use the state’s surveillance technology to investigate the case. (lja.mx) He said rapid recovery matters because stolen cargo is often transferred to clandestine warehouses within hours. ### How are state and federal authorities tying this together? (elclarinete.com.mx) Teresa Jiménez, governor of Aguascalientes, met federal Security Minister Omar García Harfuch in Mexico City on April 23 to review coordinated anti-crime actions and discuss new lines of work on prevention, operational intelligence and response capacity. The state government said the meeting was aimed at aligning local efforts with the national security strategy. (elclarinete.com.mx) Jiménez said after the meeting that Aguascalientes would continue working with the federal government to protect residents. The state also said the local “Blindaje Aguascalientes” plan was aligned with the national strategy, a point that helps explain why trucking industry representatives have emphasized intergovernmental coordination in discussing road safety. (lja.mx) ### What should readers watch next? The May 8 robbery case in San Francisco de los Romo is the clearest near-term test of the state’s highway security posture. Díaz Ruiz said CANACAR expected authorities to use Aguascalientes’ camera network and investigative tools to locate the stolen unit and identify those responsible. (elclarinete.com.mx) (lja.mx)