Article Summary
Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 3, 2026:
- Eight charged from alleged “international, organized” cargo theft ring.
- Texas tragedy leads to charges for truck driver.
- New Mexico truck tax increased.
Eight charged in alleged organized cargo theft scheme
Eight individuals accused of being part of an “international, organized scheme to steal cargo from commercial shippers” were charged June 30 in an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James C. Barnacle Jr.
The accused individuals, each charged with one count of conspiracy to transport and possess stolen merchandise, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison:
- Vagan Gulian, 37, of Glendale, California
- Zhirayr Gumruyan, 36, of Northridge, California
- Sevak Kocharian, 37, of Brooklyn, New York
- Araik Setrakian, 36, of Los Angeles
- Vitaly Koshelan, 56, of Dania Beach, Florida
- Arkadiy Pastin, of Brooklyn, New York
- Jashanpreet Singh, 29, of Oaklyn, New Jersey
- Edgar Bezhanian, 46, of Yerevan, Armenia
Kocharian is separately charged with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Seven of the eight individuals are in custody, while Bezhanian remains at large.
“As alleged, the defendants were members of a sophisticated, international enterprise whose members stole millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise and sold those stolen goods on the black market,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Organized cargo theft is an attack on the integrity of our nation’s commercial supply chain and our markets more generally. Those who conspire to disrupt commerce and harm consumers will be met with a coordinated law enforcement response.”
[Related: Stay vigilant for cargo thieves through July 4 holiday weekend]
The indictment alleges that, between in or around March 2023 and the present, the defendants, together with others known and unknown, carried out a large-scale, organized scheme to steal cargo from commercial shippers. In total, the enterprise allegedly boosted goods worth at least $10 million.
The group allegedly operated throughout the United States and targeted high-value merchandise including electronics, liquor, meat, fish, eggs, clothing, skincare products, and cryptocurrency mining machines, among numerous other items.
The defendants and other members of the enterprise allegedly perpetrated their scheme by diverting, possessing, transporting, and selling numerous loads of stolen merchandise. They relied on the coordinated efforts of at least one “dispatcher” located abroad and facilitators, drivers, and workers located in the United States.
In a typical theft, at least one member of the group fraudulently impersonated a legitimate motor carrier or other shipping supply chain personnel and companies, to obtain a contract to haul a load from a shipper to a customer. Other members of the enterprise then picked up the load or otherwise diverted the truck containing the load away from its intended destination, including by altering the delivery address and other information on shipping paperwork, and by removing geolocation tracking devices affixed to shipped cargo to track its location and ensure it reaches its proper destination.
Once the truck reached the enterprise’s intended destination, members of the scheme offloaded and sold the stolen merchandise – including to co-conspirators known as “fences,” who knowingly purchased and resold stolen merchandise on the secondary market – for an illicit profit.
[Related: Don't be an unwitting accomplice to cargo theft]
Truck driver charged in death of sheriff’s deputy
Ashton Jammer (left) was arrested for DWI and truck driver Ian Perez (right) was arrested after striking a sheriff's deputy responding to the DWI scene at roadside.Montgomery County (Texas) Sheriff's Office
A truck driver has been charged after striking and killing a Texas sheriff’s deputy who was working a Driving While Intoxicated scene at roadside.
The Montgomery County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office issued a statement related to the tragic events of Sunday, June 28, which resulted in the line-of-duty death of 24-year-old Deputy Erika Serrato.
At approximately 2:39 a.m., MCSO deputies originally responded to multiple 911 calls regarding a multi-vehicle crash. This initial incident served as the catalyst for the subsequent chain of events.
Following an investigation by MCSO, the driver responsible for this initial crash has been identified as 34-year-old Ashton Jammer. Jammer was arrested on-scene, charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), and transported to the Montgomery County Jail.
While deputies were actively working the scene of the initial DWI, with marked patrol units parked and emergency lights fully activated, a tractor-trailer struck Deputy Serrato as she stood outside her vehicle directing traffic. The investigation into the secondary, fatal crash is being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The driver of the commercial vehicle was identified as 20-year-old Ian Perez.
Following his release from a local hospital, Perez was arrested and faces charges of Passing Certain Vehicles Causing Bodily Injury as a result of failing to slow down or move over while passing emergency vehicles.
The circumstances surrounding the secondary crash remain under active investigation by DPS. Additional or enhanced charges may be filed against Perez as the investigation continues.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will continue to release official details as they become available. To ensure the dissemination of accurate and verified information, the public and media are strongly encouraged to monitor the official Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office social media pages.
New Mexico increases weight-distance tax
Weight‑distance taxes for heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicle registration fees in New Mexico slightly increased July 1, marking the first adjustment to either rate in more than two decades as the works to generate revenue for critical road improvements.
An estimated $70 million will go to the State Road Fund as a result of the increases, allowing the state to invest in road maintenance. More than half of New Mexico’s roads require maintenance, New Mexico DOT said, costing drivers more than $1,000 a year in repairs and wasted fuel.
Truckers are well aware of highway maintenance issues in New Mexico, as the state ranked fifth for having the worst roads in the country in Overdrive's Highway Report Card surveying of readers in 2025. I-40 in the state ranked as the No. 2 overall worst haul route in the nation, only behind I-70 in Indiana.
On July 1, the state’s weight-distance tax will increase by 35%, while passenger vehicle registration fees increase by 25%.
New Mexico imposes a weight-distance tax on owners, operators, and registrants of intra and interstate commercial vehicles with a declared gross vehicle weight in excess of 26,000 pounds. The tax is based on vehicle weight and miles traveled on New Mexico roads. Companies must register and apply each year for a New Mexico Weight Distance Tax Electronic Permit for each vehicle.\
[Related: Getting your own authority: Basics of filing, insurance and avoiding common mistakes]
The revenue going to the Road Fund will support the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s maintenance of the state’s transportation system. Unlike most state agencies, NMDOT doesn’t have recurring general fund appropriations and relies on the State Road Fund to invest in infrastructure.
“New Mexicans aren’t shy when it comes to talking about roads and we get it,” said Acting NMDOT Cabinet Secretary David D. Quintana. “After decades of underfunding, we’re finally making the kind of sustained investment our communities deserve. This revenue will help us take care of the roads people rely on every day. We won’t catch up immediately, but we will start to make steady progress.”
