Police in Mexico City have arrested a man who allegedly stole a truck carrying over 200 dogs that recently flew into the country from Colombia.
The Mexico City Ministry of Citizen Security (SSC) said in a statement Friday that a 37-year-old man who “possibly” stole the truck was arrested in the northern borough of Gustavo A. Madero.
The ministry said police were alerted to the truck’s location by staff at the city’s northern Command and Control Center.
When officers reached the vehicle, “an individual was unloading cages, inside which there were dogs of breeds such as husky and bulldog, among others,” the SSC said.
Un cargamento con 210 perros de raza con alto valor económico fue robado saliendo del aeropuerto capitalino, sin embargo, policía de la CDMX recuperó el camión robado procedente de Colombia y recuperó a la mayoría. Serían entregados a sus dueños en México y EUA. pic.twitter.com/JzXOT7nRDJ
— David Ordaz (@david_ordaz) November 25, 2022
A woman “responsible” for the vehicle subsequently arrived at the location and “explained that the truck was transporting dogs and left customs at the Mexico City International Airport to head to her corporate offices,” the statement said.
“However, they soon lost contact with the driver,” the SSC said, adding that the truck was subsequently located by GPS and that the woman responsible for it “asked to proceed legally against the individual.”
“In a quick action, SSC personnel recovered the truck and all the dogs and arrested a 37-year-old man, who was informed of his legal rights and … presented to the agent of the Prosecutor’s Office, who will determine his legal situation,” the statement concluded.
According to a Milenio newspaper report, the dogs were brought to Mexico from Bogotá, Colombia, by Truca, a freight company. It was unclear whether the man detained on Friday had any connection to that company or knowledge of its import and export business.
The news website La Silla Rota reported that the truck was carrying 241 dogs and was stolen when leaving the Mexico City airport on Thursday night.
Jorge Becerril, a journalist, said on Twitter Friday afternoon that 210 dogs were recovered by police, meaning that 31 were still missing.
“The company that transported the dogs from Bogotá to Mexico City proved ownership and that they are legally in the country, so the dogs were already returned. The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office is continuing an investigation to locate the rest [of the dogs],” he wrote.
David Ordaz, another journalist, said on Twitter that the “high economic value pedigree dogs,” among which are puppies, would be “delivered to their owners in Mexico and the United States.”
With reports from La Silla Rota, Milenio and Animal Político
