Truck drivers and shippers also don't want to be bothered with the paperwork, said Albert Zapanta, president of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce in Washington. While demand for stolen goods like Levi's jeans and Calvin Klein perfume increases in the underground economy, legitimate businesses and the government suffer a corresponding loss in revenue, said Ed Badolato, chairman of the Washington-based National Cargo Security Council. Many self-insured shippers have no reason to report stolen goods, and many more keep reports to law enforcement agencies quiet for fear that competitors will use the information to lure clients away. But the problem is forcing self-insured companies to eliminate jobs and raise costs to consumers to offset their losses. Authorities say 10 percent of the price of a personal computer goes to recover the cost of cargo theft.
Many people remain pessimistic about whether cargo theft can be quashed.
Brendan M. Case, a free-lance writer in Mexico City, contributed to this report.