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It is the costliest crime in America, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Organized crime drives it, money fuels it, and it has gone international. It happens nearly three times a day somewhere in America, and in California it happens twice as often as anywhere else in the nation.
We’re talking about cargo theft — the high-cost, big-time crime that you’ve likely never heard about.
“It really is huge,” said California Highway Patrol officer Xavier Spencer. “We estimate nationwide that it’s a $35 billion loss annually just in cargo theft and obviously that only involves the cargo theft that we’re made aware of. A lot of these thefts are not reported.”
Spencer is part of the CHP’s Cargo Theft Interdiction Program or CTIP, and is one of 10 people on the force assigned to fight cargo theft full time in the state. He and just three other men cover the entire region north of Los Angeles County up to the Oregon border.
For the past three months the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit went undercover with CTIP investigators to expose this major crime. Reporters and producers went behind the scenes to track down stolen shipping containers in Stanislaus County; rode along on stings to look for lifted cargo in Gilroy; watched recovery operations at the Port of Oakland and reviewed surveillance video the team used to track down suspects.
“A lot of times these guys will go park their trucks at the truck stop and go inside and clean up or get something to eat and they come out and their trailers and tractors are gone,” Spencer said. “Somebody just stole it within 30 seconds.”
He says often times truckers pull up to an unmanned cargo truck, attach their cabs to the containers and drive away. Other times he says thieves will simply unlock the doors of the trailers and hand-unload the cargo inside. They make off with tons of merchandise — everything from electronics to drugs, computers to military supplies and weapons to wine — that they steal, hide in warehouses and then sell for profit.
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Last year the National Insurance Crime Bureau logged 1,215 cargo theft incidents across the country. That’s up 17 percent from 2010. According to a report from Cargo Net, an offshoot of NICB, California led all states with 304 occurrences of cargo theft in 2011. That’s more than $390 million in theft in the state in just the last two years alone. Texas was second on the list with 173 instances of cargo theft, followed by Florida with 146 occurrences.
Those three states plus New Jersey, Illinois and Georgia accounted for 75 percent of all cargo stolen off of American highways last year. According to the report, food was the most commonly stolen item, followed by electronics, metals and clothing. Data from Freight Watch International, a logistics security provider, the largest cargo heist last year happened in Fremont when drivers made off with $37 million dollars worth of microchips in one haul.
Victims of cargo theft frequently take big hits to their businesses. Griselda Bautista, owner of the Oakland-based warehousing company PCCS Inc., lost $65,000 worth of merchandise in 2008 when a trailer carrying a load of copy paper was lifted from her parking lot.
“It was picked off by a trucker,” Bautista said. “He just came in and broke the pin lock and took off. I couldn’t believe it. I was very upset. Everything that we went through, we lost. I mean, we almost went out of business the year after that because it was a hit that was a mark on your name.”
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Bautista eventually found the trailer in Oakland on International Blvd., but the cargo was gone.
“It’s American pirates — that’s what you got.” Bautista said. “We definitely learned a lesson about leaving a load out there that was unattended.”
In April Spencer filed a federal case that resulted in the indictment of five suspects accused of lifting more than $2 million worth of cargo over the past five years. The suspects involved in Bautista’s case are included in those charges. According to federal court papers, stolen cargo was traced to and from California and places like Alabama and Maryland, even South Korea and Israel.
The CTIP team says cargo theft operations are often times run by organized crime, and international in scope. In June Spencer’s colleague, CHP investigator Mark Locey intercepted a stolen cargo load of plastic resin worth $154,000 that was on its way to Asia.
“It eventually wound back up on the ship going to the Port of Hong Kong,” Locey said. “It had been sold to a company in China.”
Locey prevented the delivery of the plastic resin once he discovered that it had been stolen. He turned it back around in the Pacific Ocean, and seized the load once it returned to the Port of Oakland.
Over the past four months, Locey located more than $500,000 worth of cargo allegedly stolen by the same person who reportedly took the cargo load of plastic resin. That man is now facing 14 felony counts associated with stealing and selling cargo and shipping containers.
Right now cargo theft is a low-risk, high reward proposition because the crime carries minor criminal penalties. Steal a half-million dollars-worth of cargo and a criminal might get six months in jail, according to various law enforcement agencies. Compare that to ten years in prison if a thief gets caught with a half million dollars-worth of cocaine.
“It’s very difficult to prove that everything you recovered was stolen,” Spencer said. “So, sometimes District Attorneys are not willing to take a case that’s going to take a little bit of work.”
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Partly for that reason this crime has largely been kept a secret for years, even as it grows in California and across the country. The CTIP team says that the problem is also being kept quiet by the very industry being victimized.
“Some smaller companies would rather not let other trucking companies know they suffered a loss due to the fact that they don’t want to lose business,” Spencer said. “So, they’ll just have the insurance company pay it off and really not report the losses, so there are a lot we don’t know about.”
And that, says the men who fight this every day, costs each of us in the form of higher prices passed on to consumers as companies lose more and more money off of stolen cargo loads.
“Every consumer that goes into the store to buy something,” Locey said, “chances are they are paying for the cost of this type of theft.”
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That is still nothing compared to da Hundreds of Billions of $$$$$$$$$ we spend and give away to da Middle East.
You BetCha....Fer Sure.
Yeah, the 'theft' of billions by congress has been going on for years. People's retirement was stolen by corporate raiders and congress did nothing. Government or organized crime? More the later than the former and both parties have their hands deep in our pockets. It is like Sodom and Gomorrah, there aren't enough honest people in this country to set things right. Rotten to the core ans going down the same toilet we flush our billions of pounds of pollution every year. And Romney is actually a candidate? Just goes to show how corrupt people are that they would even think pf voting for someone who essentially took his profits off the dinner tables of so many Americans. He is the epitome of what is wrong with this country. If you read Ayn Rand with an open mind, you can see that capitalism in this country is doing exactly what socialism did in her book. If you can't see it, you are just part of the problem. Obama ain't much to brag about either. The democrats had their chance and blew it big time. What a total waste. Maybe writing in Mickey Mouse is in order this year.
The only reason we have governments is because of the excesses of the most aggressive humans who will take whatever they can no matter who it hurts. But what government actually does is line the pockets of the rich. When it gets bad enough....
Way to stay on topic, fellas.
Isn't it amazing....seems every article leads to an opening political statement. Must be getting close to the Presidential election.
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Our "elite" lawmakers should draft legislation to put away these "Pirates" for at least 50 years in FEDERAL PRISON with NO parole. By the time they get out of prison, they would probably think twice about doing it again.
But no, they (Reid) are TOO BUSY starting rumors on the Senate floor. (political injection....LOL)
You mean they are too busy passing anti-abortion bills and trying to destroy healthcare.
Reid didn't start the rumor. Get your facts straight. The "rumor" about Romney's taxes was started by a former associate with Bain Capital. If anything, Reid may be guilty of spreading gossip. There seems to be no evidence that the rumor is true ~ but after several days of the rumor's life, there is still no evidentiary proof that it isn't. Considering how adamant Romney is about disclosure, there is probably some truth to the rumor and that is why he is so adamant. Truth is an absolute defense against slander ~ so if the rumor is slandering Romney, let him come forward with the evidence ~ or to use his words, "put up or shut up."
How is it not political when the 'government' doesn't pass the necessary laws and the DA doesn't want to work if he thinks it won't inflate his ego and resume? Sorry, but this is almost exactly like the 1%... er Atlas Shrugged. Derivatives were invented precisely to hide where the money is really going.
It IS on topic dude....we are pissing away our country to the few very rich and congress is at the front...WAKE UP!!!
A theif is a thief, whether they are stealing Semi Trailors, or your Social Security.
hummmmmm ... They can read everyone's Emails & listen in on our phone calls at will ... and they cant end hijacking containers & trucks of freight? .................. BULL@!$%#!
The problem can be solved for less than $50 per container or load almost instantly .... They just don't want to! .. These looses could be cut by seventy five percent overnight .....
What exactly do ypu mean by this statement
Now we know that we can't make any laws stronger the Republicans will not allow it. Get rid of laws, no new laws and no stronger laws because they infringe on their rights. So that must mean that all the thieves are Republicans.
@CPD95 - For $50 you could pick up a cheap GPS tracking device. Put it on the trailer or even in a box on the trailer.
Jim in Texas
Reid didn't start the rumor. Get your facts straight. The "rumor" about Romney's taxes was started by a former associate with Bain Capital. If anything, Reid may be guilty of spreading gossip. There seems to be no evidence that the rumor is true ~ but after several days of the rumor's life, there is still no evidentiary proof that it isn't. Considering how adamant Romney is about disclosure, there is probably some truth to the rumor and that is why he is so adamant. Truth is an absolute defense against slander ~ so if the rumor is slandering Romney, let him come forward with the evidence ~ or to use his words, "put up or shut up."
I couldnt agree more Jim... So by your own words, Perhaps Obama should release his college papers to see if in fact he did get tuition money on being a foreign citizen.. Like you said at the end of your post "Put up or shut-up"
LOL Completely forgot what topic was after reading comments above. Have to love you americans. We truly are one of a kind. Dysfunctional, but neck deep in freedom. So many insecure people posting. I am worried also. Have always thought from years ago that the ill gotten gains in this country JUST from our country's transportation infrastructure ALONE would add up to more than any other ill gotten gain in the history of mankind. Other than the screwing we got in 08, still believe it to come in second place. Theives will ALWAYS be amoung us. Democrats are no better than republicans, but currently, republicans are bringing a HIGHER degree of dysfunction. Who knows, maybe it will result in something good, although, I have my doubts.
Just one of the many signs that the US is hurtling towards a 3rd world statues. Expect crimes to get worse, as more and more people give up hope on making it on a normal means..
I find it interesting that most of the theft is in the border states with the highest illegal immigrant populations. Either the border security is lax or it's easy to find people that have no issue doing something less than legal to make a buck in those states.
Um, also ports. But let's not have that get in the way of a little bigotry.
I find it interesting that some folks will ignore the very facts presented in the article to tout their ignorance and hatred.
This is an organized crime issue... you really think some dirt-poor shlep that crossed the boarder illegally is arranging these loads to be stolen and then shipped to places like China?
The article mentions that the most common states for these crimes are California, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia. Only two of those states (Cali and Texas) are on the southern border, and they happen to be the two most populous states which also contain major transportation corridors that are likely to handle large amounts of trucks. I don't see how you can blame illegal immigration for this one.
I'm needing a new 52", anybody got a lead?
In New Orleans one time a semi hauling new Simmons Mattress' broke down near Canal Street. The driver high tailed it out of there. Next day old mattresses were filling up the bins around the area and street side trash pick-up.
Did you see anything, no we were inside watching TV. What happened?........... ha.
I ran a furniture store back then around the area.
Sounds like the truck drivers could use a wingman (someone riding shotgun, so to speak.) This may sound a bit off but when you consider the not so nice option of losing a load full of goods. Wouldn't it make a bit more sense? I'm sure a lot of people will think this is a ridiculous idea but I'm just throwing out a thought, as lame as it may seem.
This has been going on in Mexico for over a decade now when truck hijackings went up several thousand percent in a few years. Truck hijacking is so lucrative for anyone willing to "cut a few corners" that you can "place an order" with any local mob that hijacks. Some companies even steal from themselves, collect the insurance and "buy" back their product from the hijackers for pennies on the dollar. The sad part is, the small truckers and companies who try to run a clean operation get crushed. Oh, by the way, a great number of American companies (thanks to NAFTA) that operate down there are as dirty as the drug cartels when it comes to "cutting corners". And people still think unions are crushing the economy? Unions are nothing compared to the large scale corporate crimes and corruption.
Don't these trucks have huge truck alarms? Security codes? How does this happen so easily; I don't understand.
California? Are Mexican drug cartels involved?
20 years ago, but today? Haven't these truck companies heard of LoJack? It wouldn't be hard to devise a lock that opens at the destination GPS coordinates either. But then one businessman told be a theft was the biggest sale he ever made.
Thieves are busy in good economic times as well as bad. The job market isn't the factor that makes a person a criminal. This should be a fairly simple crime to thwart through better cargo security and the use of GPS. Millions of truck drivers think it will never happen to them so they are lax in taking precautions against it. The penalty for this type of crime should be loss of both hands, second offense incarceration for life.
Look out for Vin Diesel. Its him and his crew.
cp - I was just about to say someone took Fast & Furious (the movie not the government) way too seriously.
@ another 1 there are many trucks that run teams... 2 people in the cab driving but as they are not allowed by federal law to carry any type of weapon having a second person in the truck will not help to deter much.
@ Renee-252019 while most "trucks" ( the tractor) do have gps tracking this does not help with trailers that are stolen. There are many variables to consider while trying to have traking on the trailers. These can spend weeks in being shipped by railroad and ships. You need to put a battery on them to power the unit that will lst for weeks maybe a month or more. The containers are metal and are stacked on top of each other very often. The signal from a traking unit needs to be able to go through the metal? or be located outside and can get crushed from being stacked on top of each other in transit. Traking units on trailers have been tried by many companies the problem is the cost, even for a small company with only 5 thousand trailers the cost for tracking is alot more then what is lost by a couple thefts most times. all most all the trailer tracking is done through Qualcom. what kind of locks do you want put in these trailers, the trailers will need to be opened by 1. any shipper that will use them, and reloads them when the load is over weight, 2. the driver must be able to open them to verify the load and to load or unload a trailer. 3. if left at the destinationn those recieving the load need to open them, 4. customs need to be able to open a lock to verify loads, 5. DOT and the Border patrol may want to look inside a load to check its contents. and what about maintence if there is damage to the roof or side walls needing to be fixed. If you can design a lock that will keep the trailer locked but let 40 million people have access to it when needed please share this type of lock with the industry.
@dick again a battery to keep trailer tracking working for weeks or months? And a lock that allows law enforcement customs shippers and consignees as well as maintenence access to the inside of trailer?
They're probably not reported because some could be suspect for inside jobs by the very driver themselves. A driver would only need one with expensive cargo to make two or three years of wages. It's surprising that there's not more of this.
All said and done, the driver is the one that suffers and is held responsible
@mj: You are right. If they breaking the law by illegally entering the country, then they will probably have no qualms about breaking other laws. Then when they are arrested, the ACLU will get them free representation.
It sounds like we need to get on top of this and stop this sort of crime. And the criminals should be getting more than 6 months in jail!
So much of it is corrupt police racketeering,oil pirating with high jacked phone lines and flat out helping spies and terrorist-police here in So Cal,Inland Empire,Ca have a scam of falsifing High Intel undercover crews IDs in archives-I just had ICC do an emergency download of evidence because police tried to steal my evidence ,threatened my LIFE and tried to illegally FORCE me to retire my UN Vehicle and make it available for public use-this UN Vehicle has caught two Large theft rings Ca-to-ALA and the corrupt cops know I work with Ala FBI and my family has a ICC ruling and court order of D.O.T. Wright (my family) commercial vehicles-If you are have trouble ,send ICC an email-International Criminal Court otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int -tell them to ref UN Peacekeeper 66/Violet66/Wright Brothers for evidence.
Sure thing. We just have to make those 10 people work overtime. Problem solved.
6 months. Why don’t we make it 3 years?
Just great we all think of the prison systems as a brutal punishment, to an average
working person that values freedom it is! but if you’re from a 3rd world
country or a career criminal it’s just a place to rest up, brush-up on your
skills and prep yourself for when you are released, our system has no teeth and
it coddles the criminal at a great expense to the tax payer and California
being a sanctuary State that does everything but put out a welcome mat to the
Illegals and Law breakers, it’s easy pickings for the organized criminals, just
blending into the background of our growing slums/ the little sanctuary city’s..
Doesn’t anyone get it? These shipping lines and trucking Co are paying for platinum
protection in Tax revenues and getting night watchman service here in California;
once again it’s the private sector offsetting the cost of the public sector
failures ultimately being passed along to the consumer! People do realize they
are building huge ports in Mexico and massive rail lines to the center of the
US and are going to bypass California all together right? And you do know what
Mexico does to criminals? They just pay off the right people and you’re
out in a week.
Steve, you will be happy to know that the little bastards that took our loaded trailer last May both got 4 years in a Federal prison. It was on 80 in PA
This type of criminal activity - attributed to organized crime - has been happening more and more since at least 1970, and probably before that.
When one hears or reads the term "organized crime" the Mafia immediately comes to mind. However, more likely than not, the Mafia plays a minor role in all of this. The major players today are the Black, Asian, and Hispanic gangs. Add to that the skinheads, some motorcycle gangs, and there is a full plate for law enforcement to try to manage.
There ought to be more severe penalties for this type of robbery / theft. This should be a federal crime under the Interstate Commerce Commission. If one gets convicted for stealing a trailer full of merchandise, the penalty should be something much more meaningful, like a minimum of 25 years without any early release.
Go figure. States where this happen the most are border states. Yay multiculturalism!
Ports usually happen where the border is with water. But let's not have that get in the way of a little bigotry.
"Those three states plus New Jersey, Illinois and Georgia accounted for 75 percent..."
If you continue further in your research you'll find a literacy project right in your own neighborhood.
Because crime doesn't exist in less diverse areas?
Do you realize how many Mexican truckers there are, on American highways. Probably in unsafe, uninsured vehicles .
Sounds like we need to set up the TSA at every truck stop across the country! That will solve the problem in weeks if not days. Junk Handling for ALL!
This idea of yours would eliminate truck stops in the U.S. overnite. By the way where would the lot lizzards go to make money? :-) Wal Mart? They follow the truck drivers.
Guso4
What is wrong with you ? How dare you call them lot lizards , recreational reptiles , sleeper leapers , hookers or any other low life names .
Do you not know ? According to the United Nations , internationally they must now be called "Consenting Sex Workers ", or C S W's for short .
Your friend "Hilary Clinton ", has gone before the United Nations , and no longer want them to be called prostitutes . She want it to be made legal for them to work . To be able to supplement their government assistance , life style . That no or little legal action may be taken against them .
So for the small number of , low life truck drivers . Remember , don't ask if there are any " good buddies " working the lot . You must politely ask if there are any " male "consenting sex workers " present , and available .
Is that a big 10 / 4 good buddy ?
Or simply request some "commercial comfort" which is the usual term.
What I've said about "Consenting Sex Workers ", is true . Several weeks ago . A local radio talk show host , was reading an article he had found , about consenting sex workers . He and the callers really had some fun , talking about it .
The usual term is "commercial company ".
Thirty three years of driving , I despise the C-B radio , and what I hear on it . I'm proud of being a truck driver all these years . But hate the truck stop trash , you hear talking on the C-B .
People reading this article need to know . The vast majority of the men and women driving trucks , are hard working , honest people .
RON-1137649...Ron we understand that the vast VAST majority of truck drivers are honest, hard working people BUT thats exactly why we need the TSA set up at every truck stop so that they can inconvenience the most people that are innocent! Isnt that why they grab my junk and smell my stanky ass feet at the airports?
Urban Cowboy : You'll love this answer . L O L
T S A at the truck stops . Are you crazy ? That would bring our nation to a halt , in less than 24 hours .
Do you understand about the underwear bomber ? It wasn't in his underwear . It was in him . In his poot shoot .
Visualize this . Some big , bad ass , truck driver is trying to get into a truck stop , and is stopped by a T S A agent .
Hi , mister truck driver . I'm T S A agent Teddy , but you can call me Teddy-bear . All your papers look like they are in order .
I must now pat you down and make a digital inspection of your anal cavity . Take off your shoes , then drop your paints and underwear and bend over .
Wait a minute ,sorry about this , mister truck driver . Freddy dear, you-ho Freddy . Did we get in any new gloves today ? Darn, you mean I have to use yesterdays glove again . Sorry about that Mister truck driver . I'll try and not hurt you .
I hope you get a chuckle out of this .
and then the driver felt something enter his anal cavity AND two hands on his shoulders!!
I did.. Thanks Ron! I was joking as well. Seems like taking away more of our rights is the answer to EVERYTHING these days!
So much of it is corrupt police racketeering and flat out helping spies and terrorist-police here in So Cal,Inland Empire,Ca have a scam of falsifing High Intel undercover crews IDs in archives-I just had ICC do an emergency download of evidence because police tried to steal my evidence ,threatened my LIFE and tried to illegally FORCE me to retire my UN Vehicle and make it available for public use-this UN Vehicle has caught two Large theft rings Ca-to-ALA and the corrupt cops know I work with Ala FBI and my family has a ICC ruling and court order of D.O.T. Wright (my family) commercial vehicles-If you are have trouble ,send ICC an email-International Criminal Court otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int -tell them to ref UN Peacekeeper 66/Violet66/Wright Brothers for evidence.
What is going on,Sikh's are peaceful people. They aren't violent. I have know hundreds of them with no trouble. They make communities better, they work,they educate their children. Sikh's are with us. Whoever this person was looking for he was in the wrong place. Just because someone wears a turban doesn't make them a terrorist. The Sikh's wear the turban for religious reasons. Our real enemies are not the Sikh's.
You're commenting on the wrong article...FYI.
When I was trucking, I watched drivers going through household goods. The way it works.
If you hire a furniture mover, he can steal items from a box. When you miss that item, you'll just think it must be in another box. Some people don't get all their items un-box for months or even years. If you ever do realise it's been stolen, it's too late.
any excuse for additional police, right? this is such weak sauce... are the American people really so stupid? Do they really not see that this is an excuse to have even more police presence and create even more excuses to fill the privately-owned prison system and maximize profits for the elites? Do the masses really believe that more policing and flag-waving is the answer? Do the people really consider this to be a more important issue than the endless wars, the outright theft being perpetrated by the banking industry and the way our political system has been sold to the highest bidder? Are the people really that stupid?!?!?!
(of course you're that stupid! You're going to prove it to me with your response to this message)
I like you. Want to have coffee and discuss the end of the world?
What you've said has a lot truth in it . We can't move about our daily life without having our picture taken . At every other red light , As we move about our streets and highways . It's not just a picture of your car and tag . It's a picture of you and me . The big box stores , are doing the same .
How naive the public has become . They think the police are trying to catch speeders . As they sit watching out interstates .
That computer screen sitting on the passenger side , is giving them a readout of a number of things for each and every car , truck and person that goes by .
Starting with the drivers license has a chip in it , the tag has a chip in it , the cars and trucks have chips in them , the money has magnetic strips in them , the credit card you have on you has a magnetic strip on them , the cell phone has a G P S system in them .
They know who you are , where you live , where you work , what kind of income you make . Maybe even your dog's name .
We're becoming a police state . The news media was running stories a couple of months ago . They want to fly drones over us . To keep , account of our every move .
Anonymous Economist
Do you not think , our every letter , of every comment isn't being recorded ? There is no reason to answer this , is there ?
Did you take your meds today? :)
With what Anonymous Economist and I said . People could suffer from paranoia , and have to take meds .
The people who are eating what the media is feeding them , are eating shi* sandwiches . They wish not to think about the truth .
How weird. THIS is the costliest crime in the U.S. I've never heard about it, let alone thought about it. Although I would never think 100% of this is due to illegal aliens, I'll bet most of it is due to logistics. Open borders with 3rd world Mexico sure is great.
And you would be right. 100% of this is not due to illegal aliens. Read the article again.
Gubmint is the costliest crime in the US. This trucking thing may be second. It's an organized crime thing not only an illegal alien thing. Cameras people ! video ! Fences, locks, barbed wire and security dogs. Amazing these folks will put $5,000 to $10,000 in the cab for radios, sat-phones, gps, computer maps and entertainment. But won't spend $2,000 on security systems. The cops could set out bait trucks. Put gps markers in cargo so when it's stolen you have a lo-jack system finding the bad guys for ya. It's either a mega-billion dollar problem or it isn't. If it is, they better get on it.
...and this is paid for how?
I know how bad they scr*w with truck drivers-So much of it is corrupt police racketeering and flat out helping spies and terrorist-police here in So Cal,Inland Empire,Ca have a scam of falsifing High Intel undercover crews IDs in archives-I just had ICC do an emergency download of evidence because police tried to steal my evidence ,threatened my LIFE and tried to illegally FORCE me to retire my UN Vehicle and make it available for public use-this UN Vehicle has caught two Large theft rings Ca-to-ALA and the corrupt cops know I work with Ala FBI and my family has a ICC ruling and court order of D.O.T. Wright (my family) commercial vehicles-If you are have trouble ,send ICC an email-International Criminal Court otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int -tell them to ref UN Peacekeeper 66/Violet66/Wright Brothers for evidence.
Hey KA SHO I'm being held "under investigation" by corrupt CA. police I investigate and expose mortgage fraud and most of the mortgage crooks are here in CA, Ameriquest, Countrywide, Option One etc. Under cover Ventura sherriffs tried to run me over and embankment in 2005 by coming up behind me at 100mph or so and then tried to force me though a red light. Since Jan 2005 I have been held under the false charge of unlicensed driver, I have safe driver award and perfect record. The Jack Wright's (the owner of our site at ms fraud) home was stormed in Dallas by a dozen or so crooked cops and they destroyed the hard drive and paper evidence of Bank of America related crimes. Bank of America is behind my crimes, Ameriquest Countrywide, Goldman etc. as well they helped steal hundreds of thousands in assets from me with forged documents and my stolen home was transferred from Ameriquest to them. They left me out in the street to die with $250,000 in one account alone.
The use of video-equipped bait cars has been effective in cutting down on car theft. How about similarly equipping some big rigs?
Dude-police falsify their video-guess what family invented airplanes and black boxes,those stupid cops think they are slick AND smarter than the inventors-that nazi stuff that just got pulled up in the coast of Massachussett killed JFK-we have been working on it for YEARSSSSSSS-and know EVERY corrupt cop/chp and his fav wino/scapegoat-
So much of it is corrupt police racketeering and flat out helping spies and terrorist-police here in So Cal,Inland Empire,Ca have a scam of falsifing High Intel undercover crews IDs in archives-I just had ICC do an emergency download of evidence because police tried to steal my evidence ,threatened my LIFE and tried to illegally FORCE me to retire my UN Vehicle and make it available for public use-this UN Vehicle has caught two Large theft rings Ca-to-ALA and the corrupt cops know I work with Ala FBI and my family has a ICC ruling and court order of D.O.T. Wright (my family) commercial vehicles-If you have trouble ,send ICC an email-International Criminal Court otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int -tell them to ref UN Peacekeeper 66/Violet66/Wright Brothers for evidence.
No offence, but I think your foil is slipping-might want to put it back on your head.
Being trucks and alll, I recommend a plan called "fast and furious". We can give trucks to the criminals to see if they'll fill em up with stolen goods. Oh yeah, and don't bather to put any tracking devices in the trucks, just let the criminals have them. That will show them who knows how to do law enforcement.
“Every consumer that goes into the store to buy something,” Locey said, “chances are they are paying for the cost of this type of theft.”
Ya Think?!! Kind of reminds me of this every time I fill my gas tank. I'm paying for the cost of being ripped off with every fill! And the list goes on...and on.
---------
When I 1st noticed this article, it made me think of when those insane people pull up behind a big rig on the interstate, (65mph!), the driver in the truck can't see them and some crazy nut climbs out of a moon roof with bolt cutters and walks (crawls-whatever) on the hood of the car, snips the lock on the door, opens the door and then starts grabbing what they can and throwing it back to the other guy standing in the moon roof opening. That takes some pretty large cajones.
Just another example of why America needs corporal punishment. Cut off a hand and it's last time a pirate will do this.
I don't get it. Surely the solution is to plant GPS tracking devices in both the tractor and trailor of a big rig. You come out of the Flying J bathroom eating your chili dog and nachos and see your truck gone, you call the cops and give them a code they can use to locate the tracker, and the truck is intercepted by the highway patrol. Trucks are big, so they're hard to hide. If you catch the theft within a few hours of it happening, you'll likely be able to catch the villains and get your cargo back.
In fact many trucks already have such trackers (or at least "black boxes") so the company can make sure the driver is staying on task, not speeding, and taking required rests. It's a relatively small investment.
With most air conainer freight they can actually read whats in the container without needing to open it up. They scan em and only take out what 's supposed to be pulled and the rest goes on to another destsination, or two. I never saw trucking companies do that for LTL or straight loads going over the road .
Then again I haven't been a teamster for 35 years or so.
You are being logical. We do not allow logic to be used. The FBI could do it. When they zero in on the criminals you know what they will find - local law enforcement in business with the mob doing the stealing. Once the criminals get the Feds corrupted like they have it in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Central Asia, north and central Africa then there is nothing we can do. And they are working to corrupt the FBI. one day they will succeed.
How very Talibanish of you Mike-2541961, every pot smoker. BAM! cut of his fingers and he'll never smoke another joint!, speeding? BAM! lets cut off their foot! never again will they press a gas petal.
I was under the impression that cutting a foot was done only to runaway slaves. Thanks for the update!
As jobs disappear, and wages stagnate, and fees multiply, and inflation continues fewer people have the money to buy in the legal market and the demand for black market items increases. Cargo theft is a direct response to the fleecing of America and the policies that allow it, and the black market will continue to grow, and continue to erode the rule of law unless those policies are changed.
Well said. With other people calling for the heads of the thieves, they're forgetting that most of the goods being stolen were most likely made in some sweatshop over in China or Southeast Asia. While I'm not for legalizing theft, the only thing that will bring back law and order is a true economic recovery where the average American doesn't have to work for Wall Street or the Government in order to make a living.
I used to know a person who did this in the past. Told me is the was fastest way to make money with the lowest risk. Rather sad.
Did you report him? If we turn a blind eye to crime, the problem will never end. Law enforcement personnel can only do so much.
Oh please, this has been going on for decades. Back in 1973 I could buy a truckload of almost anything I wanted for a couple of grand - from foam rubber toilet seats to console TV's.
As long as the US is soft on penalties for property crimes of all kinds, theft will continue unabated.
A shoot to kill policy for those rioting and destroying property would go a long way towards stopping riots.
Likewise, a three strikes and you are executed policy for all theft, no matter how little, would work wonders.
Anyone stealing more than $300 should be executed within 3 months of conviction.
Eliminate long appeals, etc. to insure that all convicted repeat criminals are executed promptly.
Until this happens, expect crimes of all kinds to continue. Jail is a taxpayer funded hotel for these animals.
Overpopulation is destroying this planet. Keeping scumbag thieves alive so that they can steal again is a fools game. The only thing that will stop theft, and many other crimes as well, is harsh and final penalties.
Imagine the savings if we simply executed all the scumbag loser criminals instead of wasting money jailing them. Those in prison should be exterminated like the vermin they are. What a stupid nation we are to waste money and scarce resources keeping them alive. Yes, the AMERICAN DUMMY is alive and well.
Just move to Kabul, you'll love it there.
LOL'd at Hank. Yeah man time to start chopping hands off.
appletoady-How about we execute stupid people who write inane things on public blogs? Are ya in?
Seriously? Awwwww, that's so cute. I'll agree with you that the American Dummy is alive and well and thinks everything can be solved by shooting someone. These people know they won't be caught so what's upping the penalty going to do to deter them? Nothing!! So much of our law enforcement resources are wasted trying to catch some guy with half a marijuana cigarette they don't have time to investigate things like this. Ten people in all of California to work these crimes? Yeah, that's gonna help.
forget the drug inforcement, put half as much effort into this and this problem will solve itself
This sounds a lot like the XXX movie with Vin Diesel.
There are load trackers available that actually attach to the load so the whereabouts are known every moment. The government knows where every single cell phone is if they want. It would take someone with a scrambler to cover their tracks then, but you can buy those too. My father always told me nothing was sure but death and taxes. But he also taught me to walk softly, document everything, and always be prepared for the worst. He said that was what the 2nd amendment was for.
It was the plot in the first Fast And The Furious movie. I wonder where Vin Diesel was while this was going on? :)
Here in Virginia they were having a problem with the theft of large construction equipment. Similarly in the midwest farmers have farm equipment stolen from the field - with no hope of getting it back. I am not suprised that trailers and trucks are being stolen as well.
I have noticed more trucks being pulled over for inspection aroumd here, hopefully this is an attempt to check ownership and registration as well as a safety check.
Why can't all law enforcement enforce all the laws, federal, state and local? I never thought being a police officer would mean you have to look the other way or need to contact the FBI if you saw a law being broke. I never thought a president would tell you to look the other way or let a criminal go.
What police officer turns the other way, you are very confused about how law enforcement operates in the USA, but your true motive became clear when you mentioned the President--so any further comments from you will be considered meaningless
You, My friend, need to wake up from your farry tale world.
Lo-jack in the trailers, maybe a box or two here or there? I don't know, seems like they could track a stolen shipment pretty easily, and within hours of the materials being stolen, locate and arrest the perpetrators....
Can't believe this crime can't be solved. Sounds like GPS or Lo-jack is the answer. Even banks are using GPS when a robbery occurs. Does not make sense to me.
Matt-3468366 that would be too logical!
Trucking companies don't want to spend the money on such things,
That's what insurance companies are for..
Simple solution. Catch them and put a bullet in their heads. No cost to the tax payer to try and keep them in prison. Cremate them and dump their ashes in a cespool.
Sure tracking devices would be an easy fix . . but You are assuming drivers want them. Likely 90% of the Drivers are In On the Scam . . . as article said Insurance is collected . . Many of these companies are very small or owner operated. They probably even get a kickback from the pirates.
The perpetrators probably even consider this a victimless crime. I have heard such truckers claim that fraudulent insurance claims hurt no-one . . In fact, they think that is why insurance exists. Just another way to maximize their profits!
truth&logic
your are an idiot. maybe 1% of drives are involved, and that streches it. 99% of the drivers are honest hard working people that makes huge sacrafices of self and family so that you can have EVERYTHING. Nothing in your home was not on a truck at one time or another. everything that you touch was brought to you by a trucker that gave up his son or daughter's birthday,Christmas or some event that meant alot to him so you could have whatever you want. I drove for 30 yrs and never spent a Valentines Day with my wife so you could be with yours. Every year I would get home on Christmas Eve, and leave the day after Christmas. To say 90% of truckers are involved with these crimes is really sad.
No wmr . . Perhaps you are the idiot because you were driving w your "Eyes wide Shut". Not all drivers are as honest as you apparently were. Perhaps the 90% figure only applies to some trucking communities. .. Which you are clearly ignorant about.
Renee and others are correct in the following comments relating to many of these being "inside jobs". In the Eastern European immigrant trucking community there is plenty of insurance fraud. I heard of one member of the community who runs a (small) insurance branch office issuing policies to his friends whose loads mysteriously disappear, trucks catch fire & drivers get injuries etc. Insurance . . whatt a wonderful invention.
You just keep your eyes wide shut though. And please spare us all the teary-eyed "holidays-lost "memories. We've all been there, whatever our profession. More simple ignorance on your part to think you've cornered the market on that too./p>
wmr, I applaud you for speaking up for truckers.
Truth&Logic, I take it you are a trucker since you have the notion to call wmr ignorant. So that means you know all about teary-eyed "holidays-lost" memories, too? It works both ways you know. The families feel the same loss. Here's an extra tear jerker for ya. How about the trucker who's away from home who dies alone, in extreme pain and sheer terror from a heart attack? You going to say he was in on the load theft that happened when the thieves saw his body between the seats? Or is that only happening in Eastern Europe? The point is, unless you're willing to do that man's job, you do not have the right to condem him for the way he does it. (It was my husband who died in his truck, doing what he loved to do).