How bad is Mexico's kidnapping crime wave? Bad enough for even middle class people to have electronic transmitting devices implanted into their bodies, so they can be located by satellite in case they are snatched.

Wealthy Mexicans, terrified of soaring kidnapping rates, are spending thousands of dollars to implant tiny transmitters under their skin so satellites can help find them tied up in a safe house or stuffed in the trunk of a car.

Kidnapping jumped almost 40 percent between 2004 and 2007 in Mexico according to official statistics. Mexico ranks with conflict zones like Iraq and Colombia as among the worst countries for abductions. [...]

More middle-class people also are also seeking out the tiny chip designed by Xega, a Mexican security firm whose sales jumped 13 percent this year.

The company injects the crystal-encased chip, the size and shape of a grain of rice, into clients' bodies with a syringe. A transmitter then sends signals via satellite to pinpoint the location of a person in distress. [Satellites track Mexico kidnap victims with chips, Reuters, August 21, 2008]

Security is a growth industry in a country where crime pays — armored cars, personal guards and whatever techno gizmos can be thought up. Contact my satellite, Scotty!