The journalism non-profit said that police in Guanajuato, Mexico obtained ten luxury vehicles, including a Chevrolet Camaro, a Mustang, two Cadillacs and a Corvette, each of which is valued between US$26,200 and $146,000. The force seized these cars in April.
Last year, police in Buenos Aires, Argentina received five vehicles, including an Audi and a Mercedes, that had been procured in a raid on drug traffickers. The cars were meant to patrol the capital’s province.
But considering the history of corruption in Argentinian and Mexican law enforcement, many see the police self-serving when confiscating criminal assets.
A great number of Mexicans do not trust the police, and believe they are linked to organized crime groups, reported Al Jazeera last year. A lack of funding and training does little to dissuade officers from engaging in corrupt activities.
In Argentina, officers continue to be arrested for illicit behavior. A federal police chief, Marcelo Lepwalts, and five other officers were arrested in May for tampering with public documents, neglecting their duties and trafficking narcotics, reported the Argentinian newspaper Página/12.
Police officers are not the only ones benefiting from seized criminal assets. Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, auctioned in May 82 luxury cars - including
a Lamborghini Murcielago, three Porsches and dozens of armored trucks – previously owned by wealthy criminals, according to AFP. He said all proceeds will be donated to poor communities.
