The affected businessmen have filed complaints with the Public Ministry (MP) of Escuintla for the theft of fuel in different modalities; Despite the capture of some people, the events continue, according to complaints to the investigating entity.
One of the representatives of the Security Monitoring and Control company, who preferred not to be mentioned, indicated that they monitor more than 15,000 heavy transport units in Guatemala, including 400 tanker trucks.
He explained that they have detected three types of fuel theft.
ant theft
The “ant robbery” is the most recurrent and occurs with the participation of pilots, security guards and criminal gangs that operate in Escuintla, according to complaints to the MP.
According to the company, tanker trucks are not allowed to make stops on routes to reduce the risk of theft. He adds that they have detected how criminal gangs modify containers and place them in the back of the picops.
“They drive the picops at the same speed as the tanker to prevent the GPS from detecting that it has been parked. The thieves connect a hose to the top and, while it is running, they steal the fuel,” he said.
Abductions and modified pickops
He added that another modality is to intercept the gasoline pipe and kidnap the pilot. The vehicle is taken to vacant land, where another tank or several picks with “canecas”, plastic tank-type containers, are found to steal the product.
According to the statements of the pilots and videos obtained by the investigators, a group of people operates continuously on the route that leads from Puerto San José to Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa.
GPS robberies
The PNC investigations coincide with the businessmen’s complaints about the ways in which these structures operate. The third way fuel is stolen is through Global Positioning System (GPS) signal jammers.
Criminal gangs block the signal from cameras and monitoring installed on trucks to avoid being tracked and captured. Subsequently, they kidnap the pilots and transport the pipes to gas stations or properties, where they unload the product.
Businessmen have reported that losses could amount to Q1 million each week due to fuel theft.
Four stolen pipes
The PNC indicated that between April 6 and 12, the theft of four fuel tanker trucks was reported in the south of the country. All the events occurred in a distance of less than five kilometers, details the complaint to the MP presented by the businessmen.
The MP was asked for a position on the complaints and investigations against fuel theft, but at the time of writing this note they did not respond to the questions.