A $400,000 shipment of lobsters headed for Costco locations in Illinois and Minnesota was hijacked before arriving at its delivery points.
Dylan Rexing, CEO of Indiana-based logistics business Rexing Companies, said the shipment was picked up in Taunton, Mass., but never reached its destination, WFLD reported. Rexing told the outlet that the heist appeared to be part of an organized ring of cargo thieves targeting high-value products.
"This theft wasn’t random. It followed a pattern we’re seeing more and more, where criminals impersonate legitimate carriers using spoofed emails and burner phones to hijack high-value freight while it’s in transit. For a mid-sized brokerage like ours, a $400,000 loss is significant. It forces tough decisions and ultimately drives up costs across the supply chain – costs consumers ultimately end up paying," Rexing told Fox Business.
"Brokers are on the front lines of this problem, but we need federal agencies to have modern enforcement tools to keep pace with organized criminal networks. Until that happens, these thefts will continue to disrupt businesses and impact everyday prices," Rexing added.
The FBI is investigating the lobster shipment theft. No arrests have been announced.
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Earlier this year, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched Operation Boiling Point with the goal of tackling organized retail crime. In its announcement of the operation, HSI stated that estimates show cargo theft accounts for $15–35 billion in annual losses.
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HSI said that organized theft groups often target cargo at ports of entry, truck stops, freight trains and in various places along the supply chain while goods are in transit. Additionally, HSI noted that while organized theft groups targeting cargo may not necessarily be involved in organized retail crime, "they can be linked to common fences/fencers that are purchasing the stolen goods."
In September, the Department of Transportation issued a request for information seeking input from law enforcement, transportation agencies, freight carriers and other industry stakeholders, as well as the public, on how it can better protect the U.S. supply chain from cargo theft.
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"Cargo theft is a growing concern for the U.S. transportation system, costing the economy billions annually. These crimes involve opportunistic 'straight thefts' of trailers, containers, and loads at truck stops or multimodal distribution hubs and highly coordinated operations conducted by organized criminal networks. Both categories create significant economic losses, disrupt supply chains, and in some cases fund broader illicit activities such as narcotics trafficking, counterfeiting, and human smuggling," the DOT's request summary reads.
FBI Minneapolis and Costco did not immediately respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
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