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FROM
CUBA
Motorcycle
thefts on the increase in Cuba
HAVANA, August 21 (Juan Carlos Linares / www.cubanet.org)
- The theft of motorcycles, especially those belonging
to the government, has increased lately in Havana,
according to someone who works in the Interior
Ministry who asked not to be identified.
The person said the presumption within the Ministry
is that organized gangs are behind the thefts,
adding that the most often-stolen model is the
Czech Jawa 350, some of which were assembled in
a plant in Cuba. Such a model, in good running
condition, currently goes for between 2,000 and
3,000 dollars, or between 52,000 and 78,000 pesos.
To put the figure in perspective, the government
says the average salary is 250 pesos a month.
The thieves' M.O. is fairly standard: Defeat
any security measures and ride away in less than
two minutes while the owner has his back turned.
Then, take the vehicle to a chop shop, in this
case private homes where the machines are parted
out.
In an interesting twist, private owners who lose
their motorcycles often do not report the theft
to authorities. This peculiarity arises because
if the stolen motorcycle is never found, the authorities
annul the vehicle's registration. But to the owner,
the registration papers, even without the underlying
vehicle, have value. They could validate the existence
of a subsequent machine, put together from spare
parts and patience.
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