Police clamp down on Brazil cargo theft

Brazil's police launched a nationwide operation on Thursday to combat cargo theft.

A task force comprising federal, highway patrol and military police is dismantling criminal gangs said to have stolen around 30mn reais (US$9.5mn) of goods, a federal police spokesperson told BNamericas.

The police are complying with a court order to arrest 40 people in Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Santa Catarina states, as well as in capital Brasília.

Incidents of cargo theft and stolen vehicles in Brazil jumped in the first half of this year.

The country's deep recession in 2015-16 led to record-high unemployment which has provoked many to engage in criminal activity. The economic crisis also saw several state governments end up with fewer resources to fight crime.

Insurance companies in Brazil are beginning to refuse to provide coverage for certain risks due to a spike in crime and violence, Julio Cesar Rosa, executive director of general insurance federation FenSeg, told BNamericas in a recent interview.