Foundry Found With 4.000 AyA Stolen
Water Meters
For years the Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA)
- water and sewer utility - has been
combating the disappearance of water meters,
many stolen from their installed location in
front of homes and commercial properties,
while more missing from its warehouses.
A police action yesterday at a foundry
located in Tacares, in Grecia, found 4.000
meters or 43% of the AyA total loss between
2002 and 2006, a period when the utility
lost some 9.787 meters, for a report loss of
some ˘300 million colones.
The stolen meters confiscated by agents of
the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ)
yesterday are valued at ˘61 million colones.
However, not all the confiscated meters
belong to the AyA, many belonging to
municipalities and community associations.
The company raided operated as a foundry, as
well as fabricating fire hydrants.
The OIJ agents, who were acting on an
anonymous tip, were surprised at the
quantity of stolen meters on the premises,
that included a loaded tractor trailer.
According to Jorge Fuentes, spokesperson for
the AyA, before October 2008, some 500
meters a month went missing and then slowed
down, partly due to the fall in prices on
international markets.
Fuentes added that the AyA initially
believed that the meters were being shipped
to neighbouring Nicaragua, until some months
ago when agents lost track of a pick up
truck they were pursuing in the area of
Grecia, leading investigators to believe
that the units were still in the country.
The surprise to AyA is that, according to
early reports, a great number of the meters
were sold to the foundry by AyA employees.
"We are not exempt from corruption", said
Fuentes, who added that during the period of
2002 and 2008, with more than 100 raids only
1% of the missing meters were recovered. |
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