Cargo theft showing 'alarming' rise in Argentina

Argentina experienced an alarming rise in cargo theft in the third quarter of 2011 which has been hiking transportation costs, according to logistics security specialist FreightWatch.

Around 50 thefts per month were recorded in 2010, but this doubled to 100 a month in 2011, it notes in its recently-published third-quarter Latin America report.

As a result, many insurance companies are now demanding that their clients employ armed security escorts for higher-value shipments. The thieves are also becoming increasingly sophisticated, using technology such as GPS jammers and planning thefts in advance.

Elsewhere in Latin America, thefts in Brazil continue at a high rate with hundreds of incidents every month, according to Freightwatch.

Most commonly the shipments targeted in Brazil are food (25 per cent) and electronic goods (17 per cent), although pharmaceuticals account for a significant proportion at around 7 per cent of all thefts in the first half of 2011.

Meanwhile, Venezuela is another hotspot for cargo theft in the region, characterised by the use of "extreme violence" in most incidents recorded in the third quarter. One truck guard was killed during the period, while several others were wounded and kidnappings are common.

One case, involving almost half a million dollars-worth of pharmaceuticals, took place in July. The thieves posed as police officers and intercepted the shipment at a fake security checkpoint along the Cantaura-El Tigre highway.