U.S. shippers hoping to profit when the World Cup gets underway later this month, may wish to heed a warning issued by the Air Forwarders Association.
The city of Rio de Janeiro experienced a 142% increase in recorded cargo theft incidents in the first quarter of 2014, compared to the same time frame in 2013. The increase in cargo theft incidents is speculated to be a direct result of the government’s crackdown on drug trafficking and other organized crimes as the World Cup approaches.
This, in turn, appears to have caused gangs to diversify their activities with many expanding into cargo theft. The majority of the thefts being reported in Rio are occurring in the metropolitan areas. Thieves are targeting delivery vehicles and intercity cargo shipments.
Security specialists advise extreme vigilance for logistics operations in the area. Also recommended is a multilevel security program to adequately respond to any incidents that might arise. Along with the electronic monitoring of shipments, shippers should ensure that drivers maintain constant communication with control centers as a way to increase the probability of an adequate and timely reaction to any events that might arise.