Many families consider delicious lobsters as an essential delicacy for celebrating holidays. Recently, a batch of live lobsters worth $400,000, intended for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota, were stolen during transportation. The case is currently under investigation.
According to reports from WFLD, Dylan Rexing, the CEO of Indiana-based logistics company Rexing Companies, stated that the shipment was picked up in Taunton, Massachusetts, but never reached its destination. He mentioned that this seems to be the work of an organized group specializing in stealing high-value goods.
“This is a significant national issue,” Rexing told WFLD, “It directly affects businesses and causes consumers to bear higher prices.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently investigating the case, and no arrests have been announced yet.
Earlier this year, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched “Operation Boiling Point” aimed at combating Organized Retail Crime (ORC). HSI stated in their operation announcement that the estimated annual losses from cargo theft range from $15 billion to $35 billion.
It is estimated that Organized Retail Crime results in American households spending an average of over $500 extra each year. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) noted that Organized Retail Crime provides domestic and transnational criminal organizations with a low-risk, high-reward source of income, severely impacting interstate and international trade as well as the overall economic security of the United States.
HSI explained that organized theft groups usually target goods at entry ports, truck stops, freight trains, and any other points in the supply chain. They use various means to obtain the goods, including false pickups and forged documents. The majority of stolen goods end up at retail stores and/or distribution centers.
Furthermore, organized theft groups are involved in various other illegal activities related to theft. Recently, theft groups across the United States have been targeting catalytic converters from vehicles due to the presence of high-value precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Many theft groups are also involved in auto theft, tire theft, and similar criminal activities.