A group of gunmen in Central Mexico hijacked two tractor-trailers containing more than seven million rounds of ammunition headed to Texas. Mexican authorities recovered the two trucks without the ammo-loaded trailers following a large-scale search operation.
The incident took place this week in the state of Guanajuato. Authorities first learned of the theft when representatives from Tecnos Industries, who manufactures Aguila Ammunitions, contacted federal authorities after losing contact and GPS information from their two vehicles and security detail, Mexico’s Proceso magazine reported.
Authorities believe a group of gunmen managed to stop the vehicles and forced the drivers and security detail to get out while they drove away with the cargo. The gunmen left the trucks several miles north of the scene of the robbery.
According to court documents from the case, the majority of the rounds were .22 caliber. The shipment also included pallets of .38 Super, .40, and .45 caliber ammo, as well as various sizes and types of shotgun shells.
The robbery comes at a time when Guanajuato and other once-peaceful states in Central Mexico have seen a dramatic spike in violence as rival drug cartels fight for control of drug routes, local drug sales, and the control of the lucrative underground fuel market. The escalating violence in the area also led to an ongoing spike in highway robberies, particularly targeting commercial shipments.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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