Second cargo theft warning issued for holiday weekend, thieves expected to be active

FreightWatch International this week issued a warning to carriers and others in the freight logistics supply chain urging them to watch out for cargo thieves during the July 4th weekend, citing an uptick around holidays in cargo theft activity.

FreightWatch said organized theft rings are active during holiday periods and understand that shipments can often be left unattended.

The company added that, over Independence Day weekends between 2010 and 2014, thefts occurring had an average value of $145,267, including eight separate incidents with a declared value over $250,000.

Notable thefts from recent Fourth of July weekends include:

•2014 – Full truckload theft of tablets in Georgia

•2014 – Facility theft of $451,000 in cell phones in Florida

•2014 – Full truckload of $200,000 worth of meat in Texas

•2013 – Fictitious pickup of produce in California

•2013 – Pilferage of $275,000 worth of cigarettes and televisions in New Jersey

•2012 – Fictitious pickup of $263,000 worth of building supplies in California

•2011 – Full truckload theft of pharmaceuticals in Illinois

•2010 – Facility theft of $300,000 in currency in New York

This is the second such warning in a week, with the other coming from Cargo Net, who also released an infographic on recent July 4th cargo theft activity. Click here to see it.