When it comes to cargo theft, most would assume that high-dollar items are most at risk.
However, there isn’t much freight that thieves find unappealing. A recent investigation of a cargo theft in Indiana is a good example of this point.
Your Best Ever Choice is an Irvine, Calif.-based company specializing in blockchain mining. Blockchain mining is the process of digitally adding transactions to the blockchain. Essentially, it serves as a record-keeping process that records every bitcoin transaction.
The company had recently begun construction on an operating site in Indiana. While the site was still under construction, the company’s website said its “high mobility technology will ensure that mining operations will be online swiftly upon completion.”
It turns out that technology may have been a bit more mobile than the company intended.
On Oct. 2, the company reported that a shipment of 1,000 bitcoin mining machines had been hijacked. The estimated value of the stolen freight was $700,000.
During the ensuing investigation, detectives with the Grant County Sheriff’s Department determined the stolen machines were in the Chicago area. The mining devices were recovered following a collaborative undercover operation.
It wasn’t just crypto-mining machines the crooks were after. According to the Sheriff’s office, the investigation also uncovered information that led detectives to thwart a planned heist of $75,000 worth of frozen turkeys.
The investigation underscores an important point when it comes to cargo theft –thieves are good at staying on top of market trends.
With Thanksgiving less than a month away, the demand for turkeys will see an uptick in the coming weeks. In addition, a September outlook report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that wholesale frozen turkey prices will see a 40% increase over the previous year.
It’s not hard to see why the frozen birds are appealing to crooks. A similar tactic was seen earlier this year, when thieves made off with a shipment of eggs valued at nearly $40,000 during a time when egg prices were soaring.
Danny Ramon, head of intelligence for Austin, Texas-based cargo security firm Overhaul, told Land Line that evolving markets can make certain commodities – like eggs or frozen turkeys – “easy targets” because they are not traditionally sought after by thieves.
Ramon said that thieves have become more adept at offloading stolen goods, eliminating intermediaries and operating on a “criminal-to-consumer” model. This has led to higher profit margins, which in turn “lowers the bar for what becomes an attractive and profitable load for them to steal.”
“The bottom line is, anything that is going to affect the consumer price of something is going to affect the attractiveness to a thief,” he said.
While it’s unlikely we’ll see a rash of frozen turkey heists, it is a good reminder to truckers to pay attention to market trends. What you’re hauling might be more appealing to crooks than you think. LL
Credit: Source link
