Cargo theft is a growing problem in the trucking industry.
However, thieves in North Carolina and South Carolina were more interested in the vehicles than the cargo.
Investigators in the two states recently reported that they have recovered 13 semi-trucks, three trailers and two other vehicles with a combined estimated value of more than $1 million.
In a news release sent on July 24, the Florence County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina and Brunswick County in North Carolina announced the arrests of two people related to an ongoing investigation into commercial motor vehicle thefts in the area.
Andre Horace David Jumpp, 38, of North Carolina, and Prince Raymond Leon Betts, 37, of North Carolina, were arrested on nine counts of grand larceny, criminal conspiracy, unlawful entry into enclosed places and malicious injury to property.
According to investigators, Jumpp and Betts are accused of being involved in the theft of nine commercial motor vehicles from Nov. 8, 2022, until Oct. 4. 2025. The nine vehicles have an estimated total of value of more than $875,000, according to Florence County authorities.
Jumpp and Betts were released from the Florence County Detention Center on surety bonds of $68,436.00 and $137,596.00, respectively.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office said that the investigation is ongoing and that additional charges and arrests are possible.
Trucking is often targeted for theft, but the cargo is more often the target.
On June 30, eight individuals were charged in a “large-scale organized scheme” to steal millions. Days earlier, police in an Indiana town arrested a driver for allegedly hauling stolen cargo with a value of $2.85 million. LL
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