Interest in the growing logistics demon, commonly known as cargo theft, has risen in recent years accompanied by a significant increase in driver-involved thefts.

A new white paper from the logistics security services provider FreightWatch International reports last year truck cargo theft activity spiked in the final quarter of the year, with a total of 242 reported incidents. It reports driver theft reached an all high in 2013, increasing 76% over 2012 and a whopping 389% jump over 2011.

According to report, trucker theft is typically a crime of opportunity, taking place either directly by the driver, the driver’s voluntary collusion or complicity in the crime, or a deceptive criminal posing as a legitimate carrier resource.

“This growing trend, surreptitious drivers, warrants acute awareness as the shipping industry enters its peak season,” FreightWatch said.

The report also notes the last four months of the year frequently infuse the most risk for truck cargo thefts and is often brought about by the supply and demand put on transportation operations.

“Limitations on available carriers regularly necessitate brokering, as well as re-brokering to the second, third, and sometimes fourth order,” FreightWatch said. “Additionally, high-volume requirements, both in production and shipping, strain workers throughout the supply chain to meet the demands of customers and end-users. This pressure often results in security practices being overlooked or sometimes avoided altogether.”

Original Article 

Interest in the growing logistics demon—colloquially known as cargo theft—has risen in recent years as more legislators support their constituents’ request to cease terming the threat as a “victimless crime.” The North American shipping and transportation industry has entered its busiest season—September through January. In 2013, theft activity concentrated in the fourth quarter with a cumulative 242 incidents; the greatest number of incidents were reported in late September, just before the beginning of the holiday shipping season. Additionally, the United States has seen a significant rise in driver theft incidents, which involve either direct theft by the driver, the driver’s voluntary collusion or complicity in the crime, or a deceptive criminal posing as a legitimate carrier resource. Typically a crime of opportunity, thefts by drivers fluctuate in volume year-to-year. However, this method reached an all-time high in 2013, with a 76% increase over 2012 and a 389% increase over 2011. This growing trend—surreptitious drivers—warrants acute awareness as the shipping industry enters its peak season.
 
The last four months of the calendar year frequently infuse the most risk, often brought about by the supply and demand imparted on transportation operations. Limitations on available carriers regularly necessitate brokering (as well as re-brokering to the second, third, and sometimes fourth order). Additionally, high-volume requirements (both in production and shipping) strain workers throughout the supply chain to meet the demands of customers and end-users. This pressure often results in security practices being overlooked or sometimes avoided altogether. By observing the following ten fundamentals of logistics security, Supply Chain Professionals can minimize their chances of falling victim to this growing threat.

Courtesy of FreightWatch 

Rebecca Lopez, WFAA 

DALLAS -- Police have busted up a multi-million dollar stolen cargo ring.

They found a warehouse full of stolen property, including everything from wigs to semi-trucks.

The owner of the unassuming property in central Dallas thought the tenants were in the granite-fabrication business, only to find out Thursday they were really dealing in stolen goods. Police have been investigating three big theft ring for more than three years.

Parker Walters runs the business next door and said he thought things seemed suspicious.

"Surprising, in hindsight now," he said. "Because that's kind of what it looked like was going on."

According to an affidavit, police found things that had been reported stolen since 2011.

Among the items they found were more than 200 French key chests, 293 quilted mirrors, 73 air conditioning units, forklifts, and semi-tractor trailers.

"There were regular people we saw there and various pick up trucks coming and going," Walters said. "I couldn't make out what really was going on there."

Police arrested Edel Cortina who, according to an arrest affidavit, police linked to the cargo ring through fingerprints they found inside the warehouse.

And this may just be the tip of the iceberg. Sources tell News 8 Dallas police - along with several other agencies - have been looking into this ring for years and believe there are more warehouses filled with stolen goods and plan to make more arrests.

While police have been investigating this cargo theft ring for years, it was the owner of the property who found the stolen items when he came to change the lock because his tenant hadn't paid the rent.

People steal the darnedest things, and South Florida certainly isn’t immune. But the early morning heist of a 48-foot, multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-art television production truck from the parking lot of a Miami Lakes hotel left a lot of people puzzled.

DirecTV and CBS sports broadcaster Rich Eisen wondered how he would do his Thursday show before the broadcast of the Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Bills football game at Sun Life Stadium. The truck’s owners, a production company named NEP, wondered as well: What could anyone possibly do with a truck that size?

“That’s a very good question we’d like to know the answer to,” said NEP marketing manager Meredith Knight.

And Miami-Dade police were left wondering where anyone would hide a several-ton 18-wheeler that’s almost 20 yards long and has a dark blue exterior with the word “Sweetwater” printed on it.


Just before 8 p.m. Wednesday, they got their answer. Police recovered the trailer in Northwest Dade and said it didn’t appear anything had been stolen or damaged, although the truck cab was still missing.

Knight said the show wouldn’t have missed a beat anyway, as another production truck from an alternate location was already on its way to Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, where the Dolphins play.

The Dolphins host the Bills Thursday night. Kickoff is set for 8:25 p.m.; the game will be aired on the NFL Network.

Eisen, a former ESPN broadcaster who now hosts The Rich Eisen Show for DirecTV, initially reported the truck missing in a tweet just past noon Wednesday.

“Breaking News. The satellite truck we had booked to do our show from Miami tomorrow has been stolen. This is not a drill,” Eisen wrote.

The truck is operated by a company called Sweetwater, a division of NEP, which DirecTV contracts out for Eisen’s telecasts. It’s used specifically for Eisen’s show, not the NFL Network or the local CBS affiliate’s broadcast of the football game.

Knight, the NEP representative, said directors and producers use the truck as a control room, and Eisen typically does the broadcast from a location outside the truck.

The truck, which NEP calls Pacific, was supposed to spend the night in the parking lot of the TownPlace Suites Hotel at 8079 NW 154th St., also in Miami Lakes. It was taken sometime between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article3830096.html#storylink=cpy

U.S. Attorney’s Office
November 12, 2014

Southern District of Florida

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Ric L. Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, announce the sentencing of Eliesky Sanchez, 31, Reinaldo Garcia Suarez, 39, Alien Moya, 30, all of West Palm Beach, and Reinaldo Llabona, Jr. 26, of Miami.

Eliesky Sanchez was sentenced to 60 months in prison and Reinaldo Garcia Suarez was sentenced to 50 months in prison. Both defendants previously pled guilty to an Information that charged them with conspiracy to buy or receive goods stolen from an interstate and foreign shipment valued in excess of $1,000, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 659; all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

Alien Moya was sentenced to 44 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to an Information charging them with conspiracy to steal goods valued in excess of $1,000, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 659; all in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Reinaldo Llabona, Jr. was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

The investigation revealed that Eliesky Sanchez and Reinaldo Garcia Suarez were actively selling and providing as samples property which bore identifying numbers that matched the identifying numbers on the products stolen from different tractor trailer thefts. Items sold and/or provided as samples included, but were not limited to, Liquid Crystal Display vehicle monitors, Invicta wrist watches, Ralph Lauren clothing items, Proctor & Gamble products, and Nestle brand products.

Alien Moya and Reinaldo Llabona, Jr. picked up a load of Nestle products in Georgia, which they were supposed to deliver to a Walmart in Winter Haven, Florida. The load of Nestle products had a wholesale price of approximately $376,000 and included Gerber Infant Formula. Llabona, Jr. and Moya did not make the delivery to Walmart, but rather, decided to steal the load of Nestle products and later delivered the load of Nestle products to co-conspirators in Palm Beach County.

Mr. Ferrer commended investigative efforts of the FBI and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Zloch.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

This content has been reproduced from its original source.

A 40-foot metal shipping container and 1995 Stoughton Trailer Chassis valued at $4,000 were reported stolen from a loading dock in the 1000 block of Greenleaf Avenue sometime between Saturday, Oct. 25 at 10 a.m. and Monday, Oct. 27 at 6 a.m.


A 2013 Grate Dane trailer valued at $25,000 was reported stolen from a lot in the 100 block of Lively Boulevard on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 3:20 p.m.


A refrigerated trailer filled with frozen pizzas was reported stolen from a lot in the 2000 block of Pratt Boulevard sometime between Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 1 a.m. and Friday, Oct. 24 at 9 a.m. The stolen trailer and pizzas were collectively valued at $80,000.

Zachary T. Sampson, Times Staff Writer

Four years ago, thieves cut a hole in the roof of a military contractor’s warehouse in Hillsborough County and stole 3,000 laptops. It was the largest cargo theft in the county’s history.In 2012, thieves descended through the roof of an Eli Lilly warehouse in Connecticut and stole $80 million in prescription drugs that eventually were trucked to Florida. 

Four years ago, thieves cut a hole in the roof of a military contractor’s warehouse in Hillsborough County and stole 3,000 laptops. It was the largest cargo theft in the county’s history.In 2012, thieves descended through the roof of an Eli Lilly warehouse in Connecticut and stole $80 million in prescription drugs that eventually were trucked to Florida. 

ST. PETERSBURG — The best cargo thieves are expert planners. They are patient and precise and pull off million-dollar heists without pulling a gun.


They strike nearly anywhere cargo moves — rest stops, parking lots, warehouses.

Two weeks ago, bandits made off with 18 tons of Crisco from a tow lot in St. Petersburg. At first it was funny. Who needs $100,000 worth of shortening? But the FBI calls cargo theft a $30 billion a year problem, a sobering economic hit that can translate to higher retail prices.

"Cargo theft is a much bigger issue in America than anyone really believes," said Marion County sheriff's Detective Erik Dice, a member of a statewide theft task force.

The thieves particularly like Florida. The state accounted for nearly a quarter of the country's reported cargo thefts between March and May, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. Established rings of Cuban nationals move many of the stolen goods into the Miami area, a port region with ample warehouses and distributors for storing and selling the merchandise, experts said.

Keith Lewis, a vice president with the consultant CargoNet, laughed when told the truck with the missing Crisco ended up in Hialeah, less than 10 miles from Miami.

"I could have predicted that's where the truck was going to wind up," he said. "Empty in Hialeah or next to some fish farm in (nearby) Medley, Fla."

• • •

Cargo thieves target anything they can sell quickly — paper towels, color printers, prescription drugs. They often have buyers lined up in advance.

They will sit outside warehouses or distribution centers watching for patterns, learning which trucks carry what products and where they are going. When the targeted truck leaves the yard, the thieves may slap a GPS tracker on the trailer or simply follow it.

Eventually, a trucker has to stop for coffee or to use the restroom at a rest area. The driver climbs down from the cab, locks up and walks away. Then the thieves move. They break open a door, hot-wire the engine and drive off.

Sometimes the truck drivers are in on the deal and leave their vehicles set up for taking, said Miami-Dade police Sgt. Carlos Rosario, a member of a South Florida cargo theft task force that includes the FBI, the Florida Highway Patrol and other local agencies.

In Florida, many cargo thieves are part of close-knit Cuban theft rings, experts said.

"Cargo theft is an ethnic-based crime, and different crews stay within their groups," Lewis said. That means Cubans in Miami, Armenians in California, and Bosnians, Lithuanians, Russians and Czechs in the Midwest, he said.

In 2011, a group of cargo thieves well-versed in trucking logistics set up a bogus company to target Florida tomato shippers and brokers. The thieves even registered the Miami company with the Motor Carrier Safety Administration, according to reports at the time. They picked up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tomatoes and then disappeared.

Theirs was a new twist on cargo theft that Lewis said is increasingly common. Identity fraud is a natural companion to traditional grand theft, and more rings are trying similar fictitious pickups.

Another group pilfered $2.2 million of the cold and flu medicine Mucinex and $550,000 of Similac baby formula. A week after the Crisco caper, 44,000 pounds of Miller High Life was taken from a truck stop in Orange County. Authorities later found the stolen beer in South Florida.

Ed Petow, law enforcement liaison for the consultant FreightWatch International, described the organized rings currently working in Miami as relatively sophisticated. Even the Crisco theft was probably planned, Petow said.

"I don't know what you do with Crisco shortening . . . but obviously somebody's got a market for it," he said.

• • •

Finding stolen cargo is a race against the clock. Reporting the theft is step one, but even that's not always simple. If a trucker was sleeping when a rig was stolen or the truck was parked at a lot overnight, it could take hours before police even know to look for a missing semitrailer.

On some occasions, owners at trucking companies won't report the crime, fearing insurance rates will rise. Instead, they'll work directly with manufacturers and distributors to "just write the check and make the problem go away," Lewis said.

Along the highway, stolen semitrailers look the same as thousands of other trucks. In some cases, thieves drive a couple of hours, unload all the merchandise into another truck or storage space, and ditch the stolen rig.

On store shelves, stolen goods look the same as any other product.

"You can literally hide the stuff in plain sight," Rosario said.

Theft rings usually peddle stolen merchandise below wholesale value, though Rosario said the discount is hard to estimate and depends on the commodity.

Food stolen in Florida will usually remain in the state. Electronics that can be traced or tracked end up in South and Central America, packaged on boats or trucks, said Willie Morales, a former detective who investigated cargo theft for the Miami-Dade Police Department

In the Crisco case, Hialeah police found the stolen truck a day after the theft. The thieves had broken the passenger door and taken the driver's GPS, his food and even a spare container of engine oil, said Nermin Salihovic, owner of NS Express LLC, which hired the driver.

The missing Crisco? The criminals likely sold it to food brokers or independent store owners who like the discounted price and don't ask a lot of questions. The shortening's long shelf-life makes it even more valuable.

"It's being sold right now at mom-and-pop grocery stores, bodegas" around Miami, Lewis said.

"You're not going to see it at Publix," Morales said.

Even if authorities track down the stolen Crisco — something that experts agreed is unlikely — every bit of it may have to be recalled.

"Once these food products are out of the chain, what we call the supply chain, a lot of it has to be destroyed because you really don't know where it's been or how it's been kept," Morales said.

• • •

Cargo thieves do slip up, even in some of the highest-profile heists.

In 2012, a well-trained group descended through the roof into an Eli Lilly warehouse in Connecticut and stole about $80 million worth of drugs, which eventually were trucked to Florida. Investigators tracked down the thieves behind the record-breaking heist using a water bottle that one of the them had touched at the crime scene.

Four years ago, a cadre of thieves pulled off the largest cargo theft in the history of Hillsborough County. They cut a hole in the roof of a military contractor's warehouse and stole 3,000 laptop computers, then stashed the $7.4 million cache in an abandoned warehouse in Miami. Investigators identified the thieves after finding security footage that showed their getaway car at a nearby McDonald's.

The FDOT credits the formation of the Florida Commercial Vehicle & Cargo Theft Task Force in 2001 with helping cut losses over time. And from August 2013 to August of this year, the Miami-Dade Police Department recovered $5.2 million in merchandise, $138,000 in cash and other goods and about $600,000 worth of trucks and trailers, while also arresting 20 people, Rosario said.

Still, with so much cargo roaming the nation's roads and sitting in warehouses, it's hard to know when and where thieves will strike — just that they will, almost every day.

The crime leads to a rise in overhead costs for companies, which subsequently increases retail prices, putting the load squarely in the pockets of American consumers.

"It obviously affects the economy, whether it's the lack of product on the shelves or it's a rise in insurance rates" for truckers, said Petow of FreightWatch. "It's obviously got to trickle down somewhere."

Contact Zachary T. Sampson at zsampson@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8804. Follow @zacksampson.

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