Fifteen Panamanian truckers claimed they were assaulted while driving in Costa Rica from January through August, five more than all of 2011, according to the Panamanian National Cargo Transportation Chamber (CANATRACA).

The most recent case involved Nicolás Araúz, a father of four who was shot twice in the head by unknown gunmen on Costa Rica’s Peñas Blancas highway while transporting a truck filled with home appliances to Nicaragua on July 21, according to Ricardo Chávez, an advisor to CANATRACA. No arrests have been made in any of the cases.

“He was in a coma for several days and although he is out of the critical phase, he is blind and unable to move 60% of his body,” Chávez said.

“The situation is worrisome for business owners and truck drivers. These assaults represent millions in losses to businesses. In the case of the drivers, they are risking their lives every time they get behind the wheel,” Chávez said. “It makes their workplace very unstable.”

Araúz’s truck, freight and his assailants have not been found, Chávez added.

So far this year, about US$1.5 million worth of merchandise has been stolen, said Manuel Mora, CANATRACA’s president.

“In the smallest cases, the cargo being carried is worth up to US$200,000,” he said, adding the stolen merchandise is sold on the black market at bargain prices, often by organized crime groups.

The low prices impact companies that have to sell the same products at a higher price. For example, one freight container that was recently robbed was carrying perfume, which was sold on the black market for US$15 a bottle – US$35 less than its retail price, Mora said.

“We assume the perpetrators are an organized gang, because to steal these freight trucks they need access to large warehouses to hide the truck while they sort the truck’s contents or alter the truck by painting it or giving it another registry number,” he added.

Chávez said a lack of police presence contributes to the problem.

“The issue is that the police don’t make it to the border areas where we need their surveillance and help,” he added.

In mid-July, truckers met with the Panamanian Minister of Public Security José Raúl Mulino, who informed Costa Rican officials that protecting truckers from other nations falls under the framework of the Panama-Costa Rica Binational Commission on Border Security (COMBIFRONT).

“We have received the full support of the Costa Rican authorities,” said Mulino.

Frank Ábrego, general director of the Panamanian National Border Service (SENAFRONT), which was created in 2008 to protect the Panamanian borders from problems such as narco-trafficking and illegal armed groups, said Costa Rican officials are addressing the problem with their Panamanian counterparts.

Costa Rican and Panamanian officials will meet on Oct. 26 to discuss this issue, among other border-related topics, Ábrego said.

“During the meeting we will look at the statistics and see whether Costa Rica has reinforced its security in risky areas,” he added.

Costa Rican Vice Minister of Public Security Walter Navarro said Costa Rican and Panamanian authorities have started working on a joint plan to guarantee the safety of truckers driving through Costa Rica.

On Aug. 8, Panama introduced a resolution to guarantee the safety of cargo transportation within the Security Framework Treaty of Central America, which was approved unanimously by the Council of Foreign Relations Ministers of the Central American Integration System (SICA), according to Panamanian Minister of Foreign Relations Rómulo Roux.

“To strengthen this initiative, we are proposing that during the process of revising and updating the Security Framework Treaty we include the issue of highway transit security, which will strengthen our commitment to cargo transporters,” Roux said.

Roux added Panama is constantly communicating with Costa Rica to enforce the regulations of the Panama-Costa Rica Association Agreement, which involves the Panamanian and Costa Rican Ministries of Security, Transportation, Customs and Immigration.

Source: InfoSurHoy.com