Tijuana police arrested two men on March 18 after catching them cutting and stealing Telnor telephone and internet cable from utility poles in the La Mesa neighborhood. The suspects, identified as Candelario, 47, and Jorge Valentín, 18, wore fluorescent safety vests to pass themselves off as company subcontractors while they dismantled copper cabling in broad daylight.
Suspects Caught Near Lázaro Cárdenas Swap Meet
Officers found the pair near the well-known Lázaro Cárdenas swap meet (tianguis), a commercial area in eastern Tijuana along Boulevard Lázaro Cárdenas. The men had already cut multiple meters of underground copper cable and were loading it into the bed of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck when police intervened.
Telnor, a subsidiary of Telmex, provides landline phone and internet service across much of Baja California. The La Mesa area sits southeast of downtown Tijuana and is home to a dense mix of residential and commercial properties. Copper cable theft from utility poles in the neighborhood can knock out phone and internet service for entire blocks at a time.
Copper Theft a Recurring Problem in Tijuana
Police seized the stripped copper cable and the Silverado as evidence. Both suspects were turned over to the FGE (Baja California’s state attorney general’s office) for prosecution. The specific charges have not yet been disclosed publicly.
The tactic of impersonating utility workers to steal copper is not unique to Tijuana. Similar schemes have been reported across Mexico and the United States, where thieves wear high-visibility vests or hard hats so passersby and even police assume the work is authorized. Copper prices have risen steadily over the past two years, making telecom cable an attractive target for theft rings.
Telnor has not issued a public statement about the La Mesa incident or whether service in the area was disrupted. Residents who notice unauthorized activity on utility poles can report it to Tijuana’s municipal police at 911 or through the C4 emergency center. The arrest was first reported on March 19, according to Punto Norte.