At least 24 shipments vanished after drivers collected merchandise from distribution centers. Authorities also uncovered fraudulent licenses, altered identities and ransom demands.
Nearly 1,600 pounds of narcotics, a federal investigation and an unexpected development involving the trucker. New details obtained by FreightWaves reveal what happened after the seizure.
A FedEx driver discovered a missing cargo-door lock and nearly $1 million in stolen trading cards outside a California grading facility. Detectives are reviewing his account and seeking surveillance footage to determine how the shipment disappeared.
A Massachusetts man faces up to 15 years in prison after investigators linked his commercial driving exams to a Bluetooth cheating operation. Phone records and an undercover investigation exposed how the $3,000 scheme worked.
Federal officers discovered 76 bags of suspected contraband during a secondary examination. Homeland Security Investigations now faces questions about the shipment’s origin, destination and those responsible.
Nearly 100 people had their personal information compromised. Federal investigators traced the proceeds through international bank transfers before authorities arrested the operator following 18 months in Turkey.
Operation Icebreaker exposed a drug trafficking network that moved cocaine from California through unsuspecting trucking companies. Authorities seized more than 45 kilograms of cocaine, while a suspected supplier reportedly claimed deliveries of up to 60 kilograms every 15 days.
Investigators found missing load-security measures, conflicting carrier information and two identification cards after stopping the truck near Lincoln.
More than 1,000 Amazon Logistics assignments flowed through the operation before federal investigators unraveled a multimillion-dollar invoice scheme.
Nike, New Balance, Brooks and Yeti products filled the recovery. Investigators are still tracing how the stolen merchandise reached the retailer.
Geotab has launched a fleet card that uses vehicle telematics data to authorize fuel purchases, monitor spending and prevent unauthorized transactions. The company said diesel prices can vary by as much as 77 cents per gallon between stations in the same town.
The driver apparently had no idea. Investigators say thieves manipulated transportation information to make the redirected shipment appear legitimate.
A load of televisions left California bound for Florida but never arrived. Prosecutors traced that shipment into a much larger operation.
The trailers disappeared overnight from a Fremont, California, warehouse after their locks were broken. Police recovered them in nearby Newark the same afternoon, but investigators still don’t know who took them.
Thirty stolen transformers worth about $600,000 were among the recoveries during a nationwide operation targeting cargo theft networks.
The discovery went beyond hundreds of pounds of suspected heroin. Investigators also found 174 handguns with obliterated serial numbers inside the semi.
Arkansas Highway Police found 254 kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine and other contraband during two commercial vehicle stops along I-40.
Kristopher Lunsford faces federal charges over a trucking investment operation prosecutors claim used newer investor funds to pay earlier participants.
Criminals can know exactly what freight they want before arriving for pickup. The FBI’s Memphis Cargo Theft Task Force says cyber-enabled schemes are changing how thieves target shipments.
A new survey of 150 U.S. loss and organized retail crime prevention professionals finds rising cargo theft concerns, multimillion-dollar losses and increasingly sophisticated tactics.
