Escalating cattle rustling linked to drugs gangs in Latin America
01/10/2013
Local publication InSight Crime reported that a Nicaraguan farmer with connections to Costa Rica was murdered alongside his son near the Costa Rican border in an apparent act of revenge for cattle rustling.
In one department of Bolivia, $2 million of cattle is reportedly stolen each year. In Colombia, in the first half of 2013 almost 1,300 head of cattle were stolen, worth about $1 million, it said.
In June, an investigation by Mexican newspaper El Universal highlighted the problem of cattle trafficking, which has been linked to drugs gangs allegedly using the animals to carry contraband.
However, Uruguay has reported year-on-year reductions in the crime since 2005 due to the presence cattle ‘brigades’ and Chile has also seen positive results.
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