Cargo thefts in Mexico decreased during the second quarter of this year, FreightWatch International Inc. said Tuesday in a report.

According to an article from Business Insurance, of the 881 cargo thefts in Mexico this year, 400 occurred in April through June. That marks a 17 percent decrease compared with first quarter, according to the Austin, Texas-based logistics security agency.

Of the 400 incidents recorded in the second quarter, 332 were violent carjackings. Eighty-eight percent of the thefts happened while in transit as thieves intercepted trucks on the road, FreightWatch said in the report.

Criminals in Mexico continue to target the food and drinks industry with a total of 101 thefts of sugar, meat, milk and grains in the second quarter, the article says.

The average loss per load for food and drinks products was $33,462, a 42 percent decrease compared with the first quarter of this year, according to Business Insurance.

Pharmacy theft has developed into a serious problem in Mexico, FreightWatch said in the report, which identified 2,000 pharmacies that were victimized during a 15-month period beginning in January 2011.

“Stolen pharmaceuticals often are sold on the black market or purchased by pharmacies at prices that are lower than the pharmacies would pay their legitimate suppliers,” FreightWatch said in the report. “In either case, Mexican consumers of stolen pharmaceuticals are placed at risk because the products may not have been safely stored while in the thieves' possession.”

Along with Mexico, Brazil and South Africa are most at risk for cargo theft, Business Insurance reports.

In a separate report released Tuesday, FreightWatch said that cargo theft in Asian countries has been difficult to calculate due to lack of reporting from government agencies, news sources and insurance companies.

In the first half of this year, though, India led the region with the most thefts that also target the food and drinks industry, the article says.