Oxygen thieves: Mexico mafia moves into stolen medical supplies market

Mexican cartels have found a new market during the coronavirus pandemic, reports Chris Havler-Barrett from Mexico City

Some stolen oxygen tanks are being sold at up to 300 per cent of their original price (Reuters)

Oxygen supplies have become increasingly difficult to find across Mexico, as demand soars in a nation that has become one of the hardest hit during the coronavirus pandemic – forcing the Mexican government to turn to importing directly from the United States.

These imported supplies make attractive targets for the organised criminal elements who dominate much of the country. Some stolen oxygen tanks are being sold at up to 300 per cent of their original price as cartels look to take advantage of a country struggling to deal with the impact of the pandemic.

WhatsApp groups are filled with messages asking for people to help locate medical supplies, as over-capacity hospitals are turning even seriously ill patients away. A private bed in Mexico City, the epicentre of the pandemic in Mexico, costs upwards of $500,000 pesos (£18,000) just for admission.