Enterprising criminals in Chile are stealing trucks loaded with salmon coming from fish farms in the region of Bío Bío.
Representatives of the Chilean salmon industry met recently to discuss the growing problem, after a series of robberies that took place the past week in which armed gangs stole almost CLP 500 million (USD 741,620, EUR 710,410) worth of salmon, according to Radio Bío Bío.
According to the radio report, armed men have stopped the trucks between the towns of Pitrufquén and Cabrero, along the road to Santiago, the nation’s capital. The gangs threaten and beat the drivers, then take control of the trucks, abandoning the driver by the roadside.
Companies who have been victims of robberies of their salmon trucks include Salmones Austral, Salmones Caleta Bay, Vestisqueros and Aqua Chile. Following a meeting between representatives of those companies and other salmon farming firms in Chile, Felipe Manterola, the general manager of trade group SalmonChile, called for the government to take action to prevent further robberies.
