"The National Commission for Nuclear Safety and Safeguards (CNSNS) informed the Interior Ministry’s National Coordination of Civil Protection that a theft of a radioactive source with the serial number MD40502057 took place at 16:20 [local time, 07:20 GMT] on August 1 on Plaza La Joya, the state of Nuevo Leon," the statement said, noting that the radioactive material could be dangerous for human health.
The statement noted that the security alert was announced in the states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Tamaulipas and San Luis Potosi.
Mexico has already faced a number of crimes related to radioactive materials, with the most recent case recorded in February and April. In April 2013, a container with cobalt-60 isotope was stolen, while in 2014, 2015 and 2016 criminals stole iridium isotopes in three different cases. All these radioactive materials were found later and one of the incident resulted in hospitalization of a thief.
