Armed criminals in Mexico hijacked a truck carrying 33 metric tons of gold and silver concentrate last week, prompting President Claudia Sheinbaum to order her Security Cabinet to investigate the heist.

A tractor trailer operated by Fletes Durango was intercepted by two white vehicles with tinted windows south of Guadalajara, the Jalisco state capital, en route to the port of Manzanillo. 

The assailants neutralized the security guards and subdued the driver, holding them captive for more than an hour while securing the cargo and driving away with the tractor trailer.

After being released unharmed, the victims walked to the Chapala toll booth, reporting the heist to the National Guard. The truck cab was later recovered about 28 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara in the municipality of Acatlán de Juárez, but the trailer and the cargo remain missing. 

Gold and silver concentrates are semi-processed raw materials with a high content of precious metals, making them especially attractive targets for criminals. The value of the stolen cargo is estimated at six million pesos (US $320,000).

The stolen precious metals belong to Grupo Minero Bacis of Durango state, one of the largest producers of gold, silver, zinc and lead in Mexico. The company bypassed state prosecutors and filed a criminal complaint with the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) on Wednesday, four days after the heist occurred. 

“This unfortunate event not only affects our operations, but also all the people who depend directly or indirectly on our activities,” the company said in a statement, confirming that it is cooperating with federal authorities.

Sheinbaum said her Security Cabinet is coordinating closely with the companies affected, though no further details on the case have been disclosed.

“We are confident the investigation will be carried out with the necessary rigor to identify those responsible and to ensure justice is done,” Grupo Bacis said.

The incident occurred amid a surge in highway robberies across Mexico. Bloomberg News reported that one robbery attempt occurs on average every 50 minutes.

In the first two months of 2025, robbery attempts spiked by more than one-third compared to last year, Hector Romero, president of Círculo Logístico, an industry group that represents 25 cargo, private security and logistics companies, told Bloomberg.

Highway robberies — a threat to Mexico’s economic security and to foreign investors otherwise attracted by offshoring and nearshoring opportunities — have cost companies billions of dollars in lost merchandise over the past decade.

Last November, U.S. mining company Newmont reported the robbery of over 240 metric tons of gold-silver-lead ore while it was being transported on the Zacatecas-Saltillo federal highway.

Just over a year ago, truckers sought to raise awareness about the risks they face from violent crime while moving goods on Mexico’s roadways by blockading major highways near important logistics hubs.

With reports from Univisión, El Universal and El Financiero