In the News
Cargo theft around the country.
Recent stories from news outlets, agencies and industry reports, newest first. Each one links to the original.
These are links to stories published by outside news outlets, agencies and companies. Linking is not an endorsement, and Cargo Theft Watch is not affiliated with any of them. Summaries are ours; read the full story at the source. Charges are allegations, and anyone charged is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The list is updated regularly; links last checked Oct 29, 2026.
Type of story
Showing 19 of 19 stories
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California · Fake pickups and impersonation
$500,000 SIG Sauer shipment stolen in fictitious pickup, two arrested in California
FreightWaves ·
Los Angeles County sheriff’s cargo detectives arrested two men and recovered a full load of firearm parts and accessories taken from a Torrance warehouse in a fictitious pickup.
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California · Rail theft
9 tied to Sinaloa Cartel arrested in San Bernardino train thefts
NBC Los Angeles ·
San Bernardino County deputies say a search warrant tied to a long-running probe of BNSF train burglaries led to nine arrests and about $333,000 in recovered retail goods.
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California · Rail theft
20-Year-Old Arrested in $54,000 Train Cargo Theft — Cops Find 350 Boxes of Hot Wheels
Freight Wire ·
Colton police stopped a pickup leaving the rail line before dawn and recovered 350 boxes of toy cars taken from BNSF containers.
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Connecticut / California · Charges and court
Feds charge driver in alleged $12M cargo theft scheme built on hijacked carrier identities
FreightWaves ·
A federal indictment in Connecticut alleges a group took over established trucking companies, booked real loads through brokers and never delivered at least 24 of them.
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National · Trend reports
Freight Fraud Gets More Strategic Heading Into Peak Season
FreightWaves ·
An overview of why fewer reported thefts but much larger losses point to more targeted fraud going into the holiday shipping season.
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New Jersey · Fake pickups and impersonation
Trucker Gets Calls and Texts From Fake Freight Broker — $273K Seafood Load Nearly Stolen, 2 Arrested
Freight Wire ·
North Arlington police interrupted a transfer of frozen seafood after a driver was told by someone posing as the broker to split off part of the load.
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National (Illinois-led) · Arrests and recoveries
National cargo theft blitz leads to arrests, $635K in recovered freight
FreightWaves ·
A 24-hour multi-agency operation coordinated by the Cook County Sheriff produced arrests and recoveries, including transformers found in Massachusetts after a fraudulent bill of lading.
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Illinois · Fake pickups and impersonation
Cargo thieves used cloned shipping documents to reroute semi trailer loaded with glycerin, Illinois sheriff says
CDLLife ·
Cook County deputies tracked down a trailer of food-grade glycerin that had been redirected with copied shipping paperwork; no arrests were reported.
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California / Texas · Charges and court
Two Indian Nationals Found Guilty of Participating in Cargo Theft Scheme in Which Freight Was Stolen from Shippers
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California ·
A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two men in a scheme that bought or misused real trucking companies to win loads and never deliver them.
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Tennessee · Charges and court
Federal indictments target nearly $600K in interstate cargo theft tied to Memphis
FreightWaves ·
Two federal indictments in Memphis charge three men with possessing stolen interstate freight, including networking switches and goods taken from rail shipments.
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Florida / Georgia · Arrests and recoveries
Florida troopers recover 2 stolen semis hauling tires and batteries; driver flees
FreightWaves ·
After a Georgia alert, Florida’s cargo theft task force found two stolen rigs at a St. Johns County truck stop; one driver was arrested and the other ran.
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Tennessee · Arrests and recoveries
Memphis Safe Task Force Arrests 13 People Trying to Steal $250K Worth of Chicken from a Semi-Trailer
U.S. Marshals Service ·
A Memphis task force arrested 13 people found unloading a semi-trailer of chicken valued at about $250,000.
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Kentucky · Fake pickups and impersonation
Law enforcement recover nearly $600,000 in stolen copper in interstate theft ring
WSAZ ·
Prestonsburg police and Kentucky State Police caught copper spools being unloaded at a leased building after a truck posing as the assigned carrier picked them up.
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Arizona / Texas · Arrests and recoveries
$500K Amazon Heist Hit Arizona— Then Police Chased the Second Truck Onto I-10
Freight Wire ·
Arizona officers recovered two stolen trucks pulling Amazon-branded trailers taken in Texas and arrested suspects on I-40 and I-10.
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National · Trend reports
Reported cargo theft rises 5% in Q2 as Southern California remains a hot spot
FreightWaves ·
Coverage of Overhaul’s second-quarter U.S. report, which counted slightly more thefts than in the first quarter and kept Southern California at the top.
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California · Rail theft
Five arrested in Cajon Pass train shooting and cargo theft investigation
KESQ ·
Deputies arrested five people after a suspect allegedly fired at a BNSF railroad officer who interrupted a rail car burglary in the Cajon Pass.
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New York (PA, NJ, VA thefts) · Charges and court
Grand jury indicts 8 in cargo theft scheme tied to hacked data
Transport Topics ·
A Manhattan grand jury indicted eight people accused of using hacked shipment data and fake carrier placards to pick up loads from logistics sites.
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National · Trend reports
Cargo Theft Losses More Than Double to $304 Million in Q2 Despite a Drop in Thefts, Driven by High-Value Metals and Technology Heists
Verisk CargoNet ·
CargoNet’s second-quarter analysis found fewer incidents in the U.S. and Canada but more than double the estimated losses, led by metals and high-end tech.
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Texas · Arrests and recoveries
Texas police recover $272K in precious metal cargo; 2 face possible life sentences
FreightWaves ·
Sealy police stopped an 18-wheeler leaving a business with a load of metal and linked the truck to an earlier theft at the same site.