Latest news with #CargoNet
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Canada police bust trucks carrying $47M in cocaine; $1.6M in stolen electronics recovered in US
Canadian investigators recently arrested nine men for using trucks to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. into Canada; while police in Arizona recovered a truckload carrying $1.6 million worth of stolen cargo; and freight theft cases in Illinois and Kentucky surged in April. Canadian authorities said Tuesday they have arrested nine men following the seizure of $47.9 million worth of bricked cocaine, the largest drug bust in Peel Regional Police history. The arrests follow a year-long international investigation into a transnational organized crime network smuggling drugs using tractor-trailers from the U.S. into the Toronto area, according to a news release. 'Thanks to the leadership of Peel Regional Police, and the support of national and international law enforcement agencies … a transnational criminal network is no longer operating or flooding our communities with illicit drugs from the United States,' Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a statement. 'Organized crime continues to exploit borders and pose serious threats to public safety.'Peel, located about 24 miles from Toronto, is considered the heart of the trucking industry in the area. It is in Ontario, a province in east-central Canada that borders the U.S. Peel investigators began looking into a cocaine smuggling operation in June 2024 that was using commercial vehicles to carry the drugs from the U.S. into Canada. Over the course of a six month investigation, Peel authorities linked multiple individuals, trucking companies, and storage sites to the transnational smuggling operation. The nine men arrested in connection to the case are from the Ontario area. They face 35 criminal charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offences. Two loaded semi-automatic handguns were also recovered, police said the accused men were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Canada. Supply chain risk management firm Overhaul recently worked with law enforcement to recover a full truckload of stolen electronics after the tractor-trailer carrying the load was taken from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The theft occurred when the shipment was fraudulently uplifted from the airport, Overhaul said in a news release. Instead of being delivered to its intended destination in Childress, Texas, the cargo was transported through New Mexico and eventually into Arizona. The tractor-trailer was located in Flagstaff, Arizona, where state troopers successfully initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, authorities discovered three individuals in the tractor, two of whom were identified as drivers. All three subjects were arrested at the scene. Further investigation revealed that two of the subjects were in the country illegally, Overhaul said. The trailer and its cargo, valued at $1.6 million, were recovered intact and returned to its owner. New data from GearTrack's Cargo Security Index and Verisk's CargoNet shows California, Texas, and Illinois accounted for 68% of cargo theft incidents in April, according to a news theft cases in Illinois during April were up 81% month-over-month, while cases in Kentucky skyrocketed 200% month-over-month. Cargo theft cases in Florida declined by 44% in April compared to March. Electronics, vehicles, and apparel were the top targets of cargo thieves – including a stolen shipment of bitcoin mining computers valued at $2.7 million discovered at the Los Angeles International Airport. 'Recent tariffs on imported vehicles and auto components may also be contributing to a rise in vehicle related thefts,' according to the Cargo Security Index. The post Canada police bust trucks carrying $47M in cocaine; $1.6M in stolen electronics recovered in US appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
California Law Enforcement and DAs Take On Retail, Cargo Thieves
California is stepping up its game to head off perpetrators of organized retail theft and cargo theft, whose schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated and brazen. Attorney General Rob Bonta announced last week that his office had filed felony charges against three individuals involved in a suspected 'identity theft mill,' wherein stolen identities were used to perpetrate retail crimes. According to Bonta's office, the suspects applied for store credit cards using stolen information from victims and then used the credit cards to purchase mass amounts of merchandise. More from Sourcing Journal Nearly $4 Million in Stolen Cargo Recovered in LAPD Theft Bust JFK Airport's New $270M Cargo Hub Opens Amid Customs Clampdown Will Trump Tariffs Help or Hurt U.S. Garment Workers? The scheme, which spanned seven counties including Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties from March through July of 2023, saw the defendants fraudulently purchase over $100,000-worth of products from both high-end retailers and Harbor Freight, a tool and equipment store that serves the California market. Law enforcement agencies were tipped off by a corporate fraud investor from Signet Jewelers, which led the California Department of Justice (DOJ), along with Homeland Security Investigations, Santa Maria Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol and Westminster Police department, to take action. The investigation concluded in a 34-felony complaint filed against the three individuals by DOJ, with charges including organized retail theft, grand theft, and identity theft (with 13 people victimized by the credit card scheme). 'This was not a one-off shoplifting offense, it was a malicious, coordinated scheme,' Bonta said, thanking Signet Jewelers for collaborating with local and state law enforcement to root out the perpetrators. 'We will not give up until we put a stop to this criminal activity all together,' he added. 'The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is deeply committed to tackling organized retail crime through strategic multiagency collaboration, intelligence sharing, and targeted enforcement,' said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Detective Division Chief Joe Mendoza. 'By working closely with our local, state, and federal partners, we continue to strengthen our efforts, disrupt criminal networks, protect both businesses and our communities, while holding individuals accountable.' Thieves of all kinds are growing more emboldened, according to GearTrack's April Cargo Security Index, which showed that 54 percent of cargo theft in the U.S. took place in California, Florida and Texas during the month of March. The Golden State saw a whopping 34-percent increase in cargo theft incidents month over month, while Texas and Florida saw increased rates of 17 percent compared to February. GearTrack works with Verisk's CargoNet, a cargo theft recovery network, to track these trends each month. Notably, the top targeted goods included food and beverages, along with household goods, indicating that people across the country are becoming increasingly anxious about being able to afford necessities. In fact, a standout case from the group's research involved the attempted theft of $55,000-worth of beef cargo in Philadelphia, Pa. 'The surge in theft is attributed to rising economic pressures, tariff uncertainty, increased shipment volumes, and the growing sophistication of criminal networks,' Ilan Gluck, general manager of GearTrack, explained. 'Organized theft groups are developing new, innovative schemes—from non-delivery of loads to following freight trains along delivery routes—and even forging documents for fraudulent pick-ups,' he added. 'Shippers needing to transport food and beverage, apparel and accessories, household goods, metals, and vehicles or auto parts should increase focus on route planning to ensure the safe, timely delivery of valuable goods.' California Governor Gavin Newsom said that combatting organized retail theft and cargo theft are both major priorities for his office—as is prosecuting these crimes to the fullest extent of the law. Last week, the governor's office announced that California has generated 14,133 referrals for prosecution during the first year of the state's organized retail theft and vertical prosecution grants, which were a part of the $267-million retail theft law enforcement grant program announced in 2023. Of the cases referred for prosecution, 10,932 were for organized retail theft, while 40 were for cargo theft. The issue is becoming more serious as economic pressures ratchet up; last week, the Los Angeles Police Department's Cargo Theft Unit (CTU) recovered nearly $4 million in stolen cargo. Of the 1,150 individuals that were ultimately convicted of theft-related property crimes since the start of the grant program, 373 were related to organized retail theft, and 88 percent of those convictions were felonies. 'As we continue investing in public safety, we keep seeing strong, positive results—more officers, more crime deterrents and more case prosecutions,' Newsom said last week. 'Our commitment to our neighborhoods is paying off.' California's organized retail theft grant program encompasses both crime prevention and vertical prosecution; 38 law enforcement agencies were provided with $242 million of the funding to invest into new equipment, hiring more officers, technology and enhancing enforcement operations including partnerships with local retail. Meanwhile, the $24 million vertical prosecution grants were disseminated to 13 district attorneys' offices, allowing them to dedicate attorneys to focus on specific cases from beginning to end, giving law enforcement—and victims—a single point of contact and generally streamlining the prosecution process. 'The ORT Grant has led to phenomenal results in Fresno. We have been able to build relationships and trust with our retailers, and work closely with our partner law enforcement agencies—we are now sharing intelligence across the entire Central Valley,' said Fresno Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Landon. Fresno police have recovered $1.2 million in stolen property, $400,000 of which was seized, since the grant was enacted. The funding has helped the department put in place new processes and tools to drive down auto theft by 38 percent, like license plate reader equipment. There have also been many notable retail theft cases that have been solved during the grant's first year; in nearby San Francisco, the SFPD arrested eight people suspected of participating in 23 organized retail theft incidents at local Walgreens stores, leading to the pilfering of $84,000-worth of merchandise, the governor's office said. SoCal law enforcement agencies announced one of the biggest organized retail theft busts on record in March—a sting operation that recovered $4 million in goods from stores like Target, Nordstrom, Macy's and TJ Maxx. Those goods were stolen as part of a sophisticated fencing operation, and they were ultimately returned to the retailers. Throughout these investigations, it's critical that local prosecutors are involved, according to Sonoma County Chief Deputy District Attorney Scott Jamar. 'The Vertical Prosecution Grant has been a catalyst for enhancing communication and empowering our community, from retailers to law enforcement,' he said. 'It has allowed us to concentrate our efforts using technologically assisted analytics to identify suspects, often in real-time, and build prosecutable cases.' Jamar's office gave the example of working with multiple retailers in collaboration with the Santa Rosa Police Department to build a case against multiple retail theft suspects who allegedly stole $16,000 worth of jewelry over the course of about a week. Now, the county does monthly 'blitz' operations of a similar nature. Multiple California counties have used the funding in creative ways to strengthen prosecutions and collaboration with local communities. The Yolo County District Attorney's Office launched a retailer reporting program that it said dramatically expedites investigations and prosecutions by sending the information directly to district attorneys. Dubbed 'FastPass to Prosecution,' the program debuted in fall 2023 and has upped the rate of successful prosecution of organized retail theft crimes. In Stanislaus County, the district attorney's office created a public education strategy surrounding organized retail crime and established a single point of contact for retailers and law enforcement agencies. Bi-weekly meetings are also held between the stakeholders. The strategy has led to increased arrests for theft, with certain retailers in the Northern California county reporting 90 percent reductions in losses. In addition bolstering prosecution and prevention, the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC), which was tasked with carrying out the grants, established an online dashboard that tracks data for both programs. Insights show that violent crimes and property crimes decreased last year, by 4.6 percent and 8.5 percent respectively, according to analysis of the Real Time Crime Index data by the Public Policy Institute of California. Burglary also fell 13.6 percent, while larceny decreased by 18.6 percent, from a pre-pandemic baseline.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Organized crime ring believed to be targeting trains in Arizona
The Brief FOX 10's Kenzie Beach is speaking with experts about the recent train heists in northern Arizona. High-end, rare Nike shoes appear to be the target of an organized theft ring. You thought the days of robbing trains were something out of an old western? Think again. What we know An organized crime ring is targeting trains right here in Arizona. This weekend, investigators say they tracked down three suspects accused of robbing a train in northern Arizona back in January. The suspects led police on an 80-mile chase before they were finally caught. It's part of a growing trend we've seen in recent months, and it turns out the suspects are all after a very specific cargo: Nike shoes. A certain BNSF line has been targeted multiple times over the last year. Over $2 million worth of Nike shoes have been stolen between California and northern Arizona. What they're saying The Department of Homeland Security is going after these modern-day long riders, with over 20 arrests in the last year from multiple different heists. "The bad guys are good at a few different things, and one of them is return on investment. They have found a niche. They have found a sweet spot. They found the hole in the fence," said vice president of operations at CargoNet, Keith Lewis. CargoNet is the federal government's lead when it comes to theft data. "Some of these products are better than cash, easier to move, easier to launder, because some planning and logistics have to go into it," Lewis said. The shoes being stolen aren't just your typical running shoes. In a Jan. 14 heist, they stole over 1,900 pairs of shoes. Many of them were unreleased Air Jordans. So, we asked, is it an inside job? "It's somebody who's got some actionable intelligence to know that on that particular train car, on that particular set of train cars, a lot of those containers may have that particular brand in them. A lot of it is some inside information," Lewis said. The organized ring has thieves getting on the train and getting inside the containers, many times in areas where the train slows down. They use multiple getaway cars that are trailing behind them. "They're cutting the airline, which puts the train into an emergency. Of course, the conductor and the engineer on the head-end of the train, they're not sure what's causing it. So they're required, the conductor is required, to walk back and find the problem," Scott Jones, a licensed railroad locomotive engineer and Arizona State Legislative Safety Director, said. Not only can an emergency stop easily lead to derailment, but locomotive engineers, like Jones, who rode the line for 28 years, could be completely blindsided. "If it's 2:30 in the morning. You're on a three-and-a-half-mile-long train. You're out in the desert somewhere. It's very dark, and you're on the opposite side of where the perpetrators happen to be working. You don't see them, and you happen to walk in on them, and I can only imagine I'd be afraid of what would happen then," Jones said. For now, there is not a protocol in place for conductors and engineers. That is what the unions are asking for, as these railroad workers are standing right in the middle of a massive theft ring. BNSF releases a statement "BNSF has robust security protocols, and our police department is focused on preventing these incidents on our network. We work hard to protect our customers' freight from pickup to delivery and have security measures in place to help ensure these goods arrive safely. We are working with federal, state, local, and tribal police departments to coordinate our approach to disrupting criminal activity and arresting offenders. It's essential that the entire criminal justice system, including policymakers, district attorneys and judges, focus on this crime trend and help to ensure these criminals are held responsible and prosecuted. These are not victimless crimes, particularly when many of these packages include much-needed medicine, food, and critical supplies necessary for everyday life."
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers look at expanding FMCSA's power to rein in cargo theft
WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration could and should do much more to address the surge in cargo theft in the trucking industry, according to carriers that have fallen victim to the crime. 'One issue we've seen constantly is that [FMCSA] is falling further and further behind the sophistication of these criminal organizations,' Adam Blanchard, CEO of San Antonio-based trucking company Double Diamond Transport and brokerage Tanager Logistics LLC, testified before the Senate Commerce Committee's surface transportation subcommittee on Thursday. 'FMCSA needs to be the group that quarterbacks a unified federal group of agencies and law enforcement groups to address these issues and create a database and repository so it can be coordinated appropriately among federal and state law enforcement, and increase the cybersecurity that they have to prevent these things from happening.' Blanchard's outlook resulted from personal experience with a cargo theft scam at his brokerage company beginning a year ago. He told the subcommittee that criminals purporting to be with his company brokered loads to unsuspecting carriers that delivered cargo while the scammers took the money.'In just one example, they diverted a full truckload of energy drinks, with a retail value well over six figures, over a thousand miles from Texas to California. Because they spoofed my company's emails, the drivers were tricked into believing we had made the request for the transportation of that load.' A check of FMCSA's SAFER database shows a 'Tanager Logistics LLC' in San Antonio and in Westerville, Ohio, the latter entry indicating that its status is 'active' but with a 'not authorized' operating authority. Blanchard's attorney determined that the Ohio address belonged to a person with no ties to trucking or logistics and that the criminals behind the fake database listing resided in Africa. 'We provided this evidence to FMCSA, but they have refused to take it down,' Blanchard said. 'Simultaneously we were on the receiving end of misdirected rage from motor carriers that had also been scammed. Through no fault of our own, we were blacklisted by factoring companies for fraudulent invoices and nonpayment to those motor carriers.'We sought to report these crimes but kept hitting dead ends with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. We did our due diligence, but the message was clear: You're on your own.' FreightWaves has reached out to FMCSA for comment. Will Johnson, chief special agent of the BNSF Railway Police Department, testifying on behalf of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, told the subcommittee that cargo theft in the trucking industry has increased 1,500% from 2022 to 2025 and accounts for 33% of all cargo theft, citing data from CargoNet, a theft prevention network. The problem has been increasing in the freight rail sector as well. In 2024, total costs to the nation's Class I railroads exceeded $100 million, according to the Association of American Railroads. AAR also estimates that over 65,000 thefts occurred in 2024, a roughly 40% increase from the prior year. 'Additionally, railroads are also reporting an escalation in tactics with suspects being armed increasing the potential for apprehending these individuals to result in violence,' the group asserts. Johnson urged lawmakers to give federal regulators more power to combat cargo theft. His association supports establishing a federal supply chain crime coordination center and supply chain fraud and theft task force. He also suggested modernizing FMCSA's vetting process to 'include stronger authentication methods, real-time carrier verification, and implement controls around the sale or transfer of DOT and MC [motor carrier] numbers,' while increasing penalties for cargo theft. Testifying on behalf of independent truckers, Lewie Pugh, vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, told lawmakers that FMCSA may not need more money to step up enforcement, but instead to redirect funding it already receives.'They continually say there's not a safety effect to this problem [and therefore outside their jurisdiction], but we know there is,' Pugh said. He pointed out that because profit margins in trucking are so slim, a $3,000 to $4,000 hit by scammers is a major setback. 'It causes truckers to lose money that should be used for maintaining safe equipment. So there's definitely a safety component.' Subcommittee Chairman Todd Young, R-Ind., was open to all suggestions. He agreed that FMCSA currently does not have safeguards 'to identify fraudulent actors or remove them from its system, nor does the agency have the statutory authority to assess civil penalties for violations of its safety or commercial regulations.' Data behind cargo and rail theft epidemic Borderlands Mexico: Organized crime groups fuel rise of US cargo thefts Strategic cargo theft costing carriers, brokers millions in freight in Q1 3PL Summit: Addressing fraud in the industry Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher. The post Lawmakers look at expanding FMCSA's power to rein in cargo theft appeared first on FreightWaves.
