The Cook County Sheriff’s Office recovered two stolen trailers containing more than $1.3 million in cargo after investigators located them at a truck yard in unincorporated Elk Grove Township. According to the sheriff’s office, the recovery was made by the Sheriff’s Police Organized Retail Crime Unit. Authorities said the trailers had been reported stolen in separate incidents in Alabama and Florida.
According to the sheriff’s office, investigators received information on June 18 that a trailer carrying approximately $300,000 worth of copper wire was transmitting a location near the 2500 block of East Higgins Road. The trailer had been reported stolen in Pine Hill, Alabama. When investigators arrived at the truck yard, they located the trailer and found the copper wire still inside.
Investigators also discovered the trailer was displaying Indiana license plates that had previously been reported stolen in Wisconsin, according to the sheriff’s office. The agency did not release additional information about the stolen plates. The investigation continued after the trailer was recovered.
Second stolen trailer discovered
During the investigation, the truck yard owner told investigators that the same individual who delivered the recovered trailer had also dropped off another trailer the previous week. Investigators contacted the owner of that trailer and learned it had been reported stolen in Jacksonville, Florida, on June 10. According to the sheriff’s office, the second trailer contained approximately $1 million worth of infrastructure equipment for data centers.
In a statement, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said, “The truckyard owner told investigators the same person who delivered that trailer dropped off another one the week prior. Investigators contacted the second trailer’s owner and learned that one had been reported stolen in Jacksonville, Florida on June 10.”
Combined, the two recovered trailers contained more than $1.3 million in cargo, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities did not identify the owners of the cargo or provide additional information about the shipments. The agency also did not release details regarding the intended destination of the freight.
Investigation remains ongoing
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said investigators are working to identify the driver who delivered the trailers as well as anyone else who may have been involved in the thefts. No arrests have been announced. The investigation remains ongoing.
The sheriff’s office did not release additional information regarding how either trailer was stolen. Authorities also did not say whether investigators believe the two thefts are connected beyond both trailers being recovered at the same truck yard. Additional information was not immediately available.
Click here for more articles on cargo theft and freight fraud by Phillip Brink.
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