Police are protecting avocado shipments from Mexico as the Super Bowl on February 12 draws closer.
On their approach to shipping factories, trucks carrying fatty fruits were being robbed by cartels.
While millions of Americans get ready for the Super Bowl 2023, some attendees—Mexican avocados—receive a police escort.
These avocados travel a perilous route before they reach your grocery store on February 12, when they will be used to make game-day guacamole. After being harvested in Santa Ana’s orchards, truckers like Jess Quintero transport their load to shipping facilities in Uruapan, about 40 miles distant. The Associated Press said that drug cartels, extortion groups, and regular criminals pose hazards to drivers along the route.
Quintero and other drivers thus receive a police escort to safeguard their pricey, fatty fruits, which can cost for up to $2.50 each in America. According to the AP, a single box in Quintero’s truck may hold avocados worth $100; an entire truckload may be worth $80,000 to $100,000.
Quintero told the AP, “Since the police trucks are with us now, it is more tranquil because this is a very dangerous location. They have stolen one or two, one each week, but not as frequently as they once did.
According to Quintero, thieves have not only taken the expensive fruits, but also the vehicles that transport them.
According to Quintero, “They would take away our trucks and the fruit, sometimes they’d take the vehicle as well.” “In this location, they would steal two or three trucks a day.”
When “two young people came out and they took our truck and tied us up,” Quintero was driving once.
The producers, who enter into agreements with packaging and shipping facilities to provide a specific amount of avocados, were also harmed by the thefts. The AP said that they risk losing the client if those avocados are unable to reach their destination.
According to José Evaristo Valencia, an avocado grower, “the main persons affected are the producers.” Every day, three to four trucks were being lost by the public.
Since the police started accompanying the trucks, the robberies have “gone down a lot,” according to Quintero.
According to state police officer Jorge González, who spoke to the Associated Press, the police follow around 40 trucks everyday, assisting them in transporting roughly 300 tonnes of avocados each day.
According to González, “These operations have been successful in reducing the (robbery) rate by roughly 90 to 95 percent.” We go with them to the packing facility so they can easily bring their trucks in.
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