Armed Heist of Gold & Other Precious Metals at Manzanillo, Colima Port

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

A group of at least 12 armed men stole gold, silver, zinc, and electronics such as air conditioners and televisions in a large and audacious heist in the port area of Manzanillo, Colima, earlier this month.

Citing official investigations, a group of 12 to 15 armed men arrived at the premises of the freight company Maniobras Alonso Mireles (MAM) in the early hours of June 5. The men overpowered a security guard before locking him and other employees in a shed, according to National Guard sources.

They then broke into some 50 shipping containers and inspected their contents before loading 20 containers onto trucks and removing them from the MAM premises, located in the Tapeixtles industrial area of Manzanillo. The containers, loaded onto trucks using the company’s machinery, contained gold, silver, and zinc in bulk as well as televisions. The total value of the stolen goods, which were reportedly transported to an unspecified nearby location, is unclear. 

Current Prices of Stolen Precious Metals

Gold: $58,830 per kilogram

Silver: $683 per kilogram

Zinc: $3.61 per kilogram

Criminals checked the containers and chose 20 to steal, “so they proceeded to mount them on tractor-trailer platforms to take them out of the company’s yard and move them to a nearby place,” reported Reforma. Colima’s FGE, the Ministry of Defense (SEDENA), SEMAR, and the National Guard are in charge of the investigations. The robbery – considered the largest ever in the Manzanillo port area – took 8 to 10 hours to complete, as not all 20 containers were removed at once. MAM staff didn’t notify local authorities until approximately 10 AM, by which time the men had completed the heist.

Colima and federal authorities are reviewing video footage of the crime. The Army, Navy, and National Guard have searched for the stolen 40-foot containers but haven’t managed to locate them. No arrests have been reported.

The Navy, which is responsible for security at the Manzanillo port, stressed that the crime occurred on private property and not in the port precinct under its control. “The protection and security of goods in these premises is the responsibility of the personnel of that place,” it said in a statement.

Port of Manzanillo Crimes & Security

The robbery of containers arriving at the Port of Manzanillo has been taking place for the past several years. Merchandise and products that are stolen to a greater extent are household appliances, electronic devices, and food products. In March 2021, during the biweekly meeting of the Manzanillo Control Group, headed by SEMAR and made up of different federal agencies, it was agreed to place special attention on solving this problem, which affects carriers and businesses in the region and Mexico.

"This crime, which causes millionaire losses every year, has become the spur for many Mexican businessmen. Grupo Control Manzanillo has analyzed the problem, offering to take part in the fight against this activity within the scope of action of the commercial port of Colima," said the Port of Manzanillo through a press release. In July 2021, the president of the Union of Freight Carriers of Manzanillo, Yax Tzel Nolasco Gómez, denounced that so far that year the theft of between 60 and 70 containers had already been registered in the state. , in events that occurred mainly in the industrial area of ​​the port, in the town of Colomos, and on highways in Jalisco.

In 2019, a decree mandated that the segments of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT) in charge of Federal Port Administrations be operated under SEMAR. However, it was not a militarization of Mexico’s port infrastructure, said MBN Elizabeth García, Director of Coordinating Directorate for the Evaluation of ASIPONA Management, SEMAR: “A large segment of its originally civilian core administration was kept intact. Our office is a great example of that, as most of our teams retain their original composition.”

Shipping containers are transported to and from the Manzanillo port area at all hours of day and night, circumstances that apparently allowed the armed men to commit their crimes without arousing suspicion. The Pacific coast port is Mexico’s busiest, handling a record 3.37 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent container units) in 2021.

CJNG members operating through the Port of Manzanillo.

CJNG and CDS activities in Colima.

Being Mexico's largest port, Manzanillo is also a huge entry point for precursor chemicals and an export point for smuggling. Recently, there have been several large seizures of cocaine and other drugs in the region. It is said that both CDS and CJNG operate in the area, the Navy recently captured the CJNG leader in Colima, "El Chaparrito" According to sources from the Security Cabinet of the Federal Government, "El Chaparrito" had control of the port of Manzanillo, Colima, for the introduction of narcotic drugs and chemical precursors for the criminal organization.

Sources Mexico Daily News, Bullion Vault, Business Insider, Mexican Business News, Proceso, Borderland Beat, Borderland Beat