In a joint operation, police forces inspected close to three dozen pawnshops, junkyards and businesses that buy and sell gold, silver, coins and jewelry, in the city of San Miguel de Allende.
Agents from the State Ministry of Security, the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office, the state and municipal departments of Civil Protection, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Municipal Police Force participated in the operation. The main objective: to examine how these businesses are run and to ensure that the original purchasingof the merchandise sold in these establishments adheres to the law.
During the operation, police agents seized a motorcycle that had been previously reported stolen.
In an interview, Gabriel Arturo Yáñez, head of Public Security, stated that “we want to compel shop owners to run their businesses according to regulations.”
He emphasized that the current administration is concerned about protecting local consumers by ensuring that these businesses operate within the rule of law. “Mayor Mauricio Trejo instructed police forces to investigate these types of businesses to prevent the illegal circulation of stolen goods within the city.”
Police inspected business permits and made background checks of the merchandise sold within these establishments to assess whether the goods had any connection to unlawful conduct.
“We found a stolen motorcycle in one establishment, and that is precisely what this is all about,” added Yáñez. “We need to inspect the operational procedures of these businesses and to ensure that they are operating in line with the respective regulations. We need to enforce transparency and to penalize those who sell stolen goods or who are engaged in criminal activities.”
The law enforcement agents were divided into six teams to cover the largest area possible within the city’s core and outer limits.
The municipal government’s priority is the local consumer. In a bid to guarantee the legitimate origin of the products sold by establishments within and around the city, Mauricio Trejo continues to build a San Miguel de Allende that is safer than ever.
