A recent cargo theft in Philadelphia highlights a commodity that one industry insider called a “perennial favorite” among cargo thieves.
On Friday, Oct. 25, Philadelphia police responded to a reported cargo theft in the city’s northeast side. The driver said the truck was parked behind a Lowe’s and a Walmart when the trailer was broken into. According to police, the thieves made off with several pallets of Red Bull.
Officials said they are looking for three male suspects who fled the scene in a gray Dodge Durango. The investigation is ongoing.
The City of Brotherly Love isn’t alone when it comes to a cargo theft problem. According to 2024 first-half data from Overhaul – an Austin, Texas-based supply chain risk management company –cargo theft incidents increased 49% when compared to the first six months of 2023.
It wasn’t just the rate of theft that saw an uptick. Data from Overhaul shows the average loss per incident also went up, climbing to $115,230 per theft, an increase of 83% over the previous year.
Danny Ramon is the head of Overhaul’s Intelligence and Response team. When it comes to appealing commodities for cargo thieves, Ramon said that energy drinks are a “perennial favorite.”
“Think about any place that you’ve ever gone – any retail point of sale you’ve ever been – whether it’s a flea market, a swap meet, a convenience store or a national franchise, they’re all selling energy drinks, and you’re not going to think twice if you find a good deal on one,” Ramon told Land Line. “It’s one of those things that just flies off the shelf. You can’t tell the difference between this energy drink and that energy drink in terms of, like, the bar code. They’re not uniquely serialized. And they move quickly. They’re very popular. You can move them either individually or in bulk.”
According to CargoNet, however, cargo thieves’ interest in energy drinks has waned over the past year. In its recently released 2024 Third Quarter Supply Chain Risk Trends Analysis, the Jersey City, N.J.-based cargo security firm identified the beverages as one of the targeted commodities to show a decline in theft when compared to the third quarter of 2023.
The most recent cargo theft is the latest in a surge of issues Philadelphia has seen over the past year. In August, Capt. John Ryan of the Northeast Detective Division said the spike in thefts could be attributed to a “widespread” crime ring working across the city.
Police in Philly said they have been working with “federal and other state partners” to try to curb the rate of thefts.
The city’s issues with organized crime – much like its cargo theft problem – are emblematic of national trends. In its third quarter cargo theft report, CargoNet said crime rings are a large contributor to the continued rise in incidents.
“The primary drivers of cargo theft continue to be organized crime groups specializing in strategic forms of cargo theft that typically involve some form of document fraud, identity theft and intent to steal the property they are being entrusted to transport,” the company said.
The group also noted a change in evasion tactics being employed by these crime rings, making them increasingly difficult to catch. LL
Listen to Land Line Now’s full conversation with Danny Ramon of Overhaul below.
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