Locals Suspected in Ministry of Agriculture Heist

Seven masked men stormed the Ministry of Agriculture compound in Central Farm early Wednesday morning. Authorities report that the men tied up the security guard and stole the keys to four government pickup trucks. Investigation revealed that the men were planning to drive the vehicles to the western border and cross into Guatemala.

According to the recently named Minister of Agriculture, Rodwell Ferguson, the vehicles were stolen around three in the morning. “We do suspect that these individuals have connections across the border,” he said. “We alerted Guatemala in case they crossed the border, but what security is saying is that they speak Creole. So, they are locals.”

He addressed speculation about an inside job. “That is also a thought, but I don’t want to speculate until we have more information,” Ferguson said.

He said three vehicles were recovered near Arenal and one close to Benque. He added that it is too early to identify the suspects. “At this moment, we can’t determine, but hopefully by the end of the day we have a better response,” he added.