Highway robberies of transport trucks hit their highest level for the year in August when 778 incidents were reported, almost half of which were in México state, according to data from the National Public Security System (SNSP).

The state is by far the worst state for the crime: 377 robberies were recorded in August, bringing the total for the year to 3,029. The second worst state, Michoacán, saw a comparatively modest 91 incidents in August, taking its annual total to 695.

Six of every seven robberies involved violence, the SNSP said.

This year’s numbers are slightly better than last year, when 815 incidents were recorded during the month.

Summer appears to be a profitable season for highway thieves: August usurped June, when 746 such robberies were recorded; May, which saw 719 incidents, and July when there were 711 robberies.

Luis Rangel of logistics company WebFleet Solutions said robberies were likely to continue in the coming months due to an increase in trade for the holiday season. “This is not going to go down, on the contrary, an increase is coming because we are approaching December, where there is much more movement of motor transport. Logically there are more goods, and unfortunately and statistically speaking, there is more crime,” he said.

With reports from Milenio