Lobsters to tequila: Cargo theft is eating America’s lunch and driving up food prices

As families crossed the state were preparing to observe Christmas, criminals were engaged playing the Grinch. On Christmas Eve, a $400,000 shipment of unrecorded lobsters headed to Costco warehouses successful Illinois and Minnesota vanished aft pickup successful Massachusetts. Posing arsenic a morganatic trucking company, thieves disabled the truck’s GPS and disappeared with the load, a calculated enactment of cargo theft present nether probe by the FBI.

As brazen arsenic it sounds, this was nary one-off heist. Thieves precocious made disconnected with 2 truckloads carrying 24,000 bottles of Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar’s Santo Tequila — worthy much than $1 cardinal — utilizing fake bearer identities, spoofed emails and manipulated tracking systems to divert the freight. These high-profile heists are symptoms of a nationwide epidemic driven by organized theft groups that exploit integer platforms, stolen identities and fraudulent credentials to hijack the U.S. proviso chain. Cargo theft present costs the trucking manufacture $6.6 cardinal annually, oregon much than $18 cardinal each day. Those losses construe into higher security premiums, costly information investments and operational disruptions. With astir three-quarters of stolen freight ne'er recovered, consumers yet wage the terms astatine the checkout line.

As they person for decades, bandits inactive stalk tractor trailers and onslaught erstwhile they are stopped astatine a remainder country oregon adjacent a postulation light. But strategical theft targeting trucking — which often involves elaborate techniques similar fictitious pickup and individuality fraud — has surged by 1,500% since 2022. The accelerated digitization of the proviso concatenation has opened up cyber vulnerabilities that organized theft groups exploit to bargain freight remotely. 

AMERICAN TRUCKING INDUSTRY URGES LAWMAKERS TO ACT AS ONLINE CARGO THEFT SURGES

According to the proscription information steadfast CargoNet, nutrient and beverages accounted for the top stock of thefts successful 2024, with melodramatic spikes successful nutrient and beverage loads during 2025. Criminals similar these items due to the fact that they are casual to resell and hard to trace. A breached seal tin condemn an full load and perishable goods seldom trigger accelerated law-enforcement action.

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The fallout extends beyond higher prices. Retailers crossed the state person announced store closures, with executives citing persistent theft arsenic a contributing factor. When stores unopen their doors, communities tin suffer entree to groceries, pharmacies and indispensable services, deepening nutrient deserts and economical strain. And with market prices apical of caput for voters this predetermination year, lawmakers indispensable face this occupation head-on.

That’s wherefore we’re encouraged the House Judiciary Committee precocious the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act (CORCA), which would yet springiness instrumentality enforcement the tools to analyse and prosecute organized cargo theft, amended reporting and fortify public-private partnerships. With nary wide national jurisdiction, real-time information sharing oregon coordination, instrumentality enforcement is presently warring these criminals with 1 manus tied down its back. CORCA would alteration each of that.

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But a committee ballot isn’t enough. CORCA indispensable present walk the afloat House and Senate and beryllium signed into instrumentality truthful consumers, motortruck drivers and American businesses are amended protected astatine a clip erstwhile market prices are already stretching household budgets.

If Congress fails to act, the adjacent header volition not conscionable beryllium astir missing lobsters oregon stolen tequila. It volition beryllium astir higher prices and increasing insecurity for American families. Let’s marque definite this is the infinitesimal lawmakers stepped up to support our proviso chain, our businesses and the American consumer.