Biggest Cargo Thefts in the U.S.

Cargo theft in America has scaled into an industrialized operation, costing companies billions and reshaping supply chain security strategies. From rest-stop raids to cyber-enabled scams, here are most notorious U.S. cargo heists of the last five years, and what happened after.

A Brink’s armored truck parked at a Flying J truck stop in Lebec, California, was discovered with 24 of 73 jewelry bags missing after the drivers stopped overnight; the thieves apparently followed the rig from a jewelry show and struck at the rest area. Reports describe the theft as highly organized, and the modus operandi raised immediate questions about routing, seals, and possible surveillance of the load.

Brink’s initially set the loss at $8.7M based on insured declarations, while jewelers and press reports later cited much higher estimates (some media mentioned figures up to $100M) — the discrepancy stems from declared values vs. merchant estimates and ongoing litigation. Federal prosecutors indicted seven suspects in 2025 on conspiracy/theft charges; some stolen pieces were recovered during searches, and civil suits over liability followed. The case remains notable as one of the largest U.S. jewelry heists.

A Ceva Logistics trailer parked in Reno was reported stolen in early July 2025 while loaded with Apple and semiconductor items (reports list Apple products and AMD equipment). Media reports stated the value was around $15 million and noted the trailer appeared to have been removed from an unsecured lot. Coverage identified this as a very large single-truck electronics loss that shocked tech shippers.

Local and industry investigators flagged gaps in parking/yard security and trailer visibility; law enforcement investigations were ongoing as of the reporting. The incident underscored risks for high-value electronics in interim storage and renewed calls for GPS tracking, sealed/locked trailers, and stronger 3PL/yard security protocols.

From 2024 into 2025, a string of robberies targeted BNSF intermodal freight and manifest trains carrying high-value sneakers (notably unreleased Nike/Jordan collaborations). Thieves allegedly boarded trains, forced emergency stops or cut access, and removed pallets of sneakers; investigators linked multiple incidents across desert routes. News agencies reported combined losses in the low millions (AP reported over $2 million in stolen Nikes across related incidents).

Federal investigations led to indictments and arrests tied to some of the incidents (including an Arizona case with multiple defendants). Rail carriers flagged the thefts as part of a broader spike in organized rail cargo crimes and have been urged to enhance seals, secure parking, and coordination with law enforcement. Nike declined to publicly enumerate all losses, but industry reporting confirmed major brand-targeted thefts.

In April 2025, burglars cut a hole in the roof of a distribution facility in Lakewood (Ocean County), lowered ladders, and removed roughly $4 million in Apple devices and related electronics. Surveillance video and police statements described a mission-style operation that used tools and time to bypass perimeter security.

The Ocean County authorities investigated and cataloged the loss; local reporting noted how the method — roof entry plus alarm-jamming techniques — demonstrated professional planning. At the time of reporting, no high-profile convictions were publicized, but insurers and local law enforcement treated it as a sophisticated warehouse burglary that reinforced vulnerabilities in mid-Atlantic distribution facilities.

In mid-2025, LAPD and partner agencies exposed what they described as a cargo-theft launder operation run through two hardware store locations (DJ General Tool & Wire). Investigators recovered millions in stolen goods — reporting numbers around $4–5 million in merchandise (power tools, e-bikes, appliances) that had been intercepted from trains, trucks, and shipping containers and then sold via storefronts and online listings.

Local prosecutors charged the store operator(s) and others with receiving and trafficking stolen property; law enforcement emphasized this as a clear example of how cargo theft rings create physical resale channels to “clean” stolen freight.

Court records and reporting show a 2022 operation in which conspirators followed and stole trucks loaded with electronics (including Meta Oculus headsets). One reported incident (May 6, 2022) involved a trailer taken at a Pilot truck stop in Haubstadt, Indiana; later indictments (filed in 2024) alleged a pattern of truck thefts carrying high-value consumer tech, with one truck carrying ~$1.5 million in Oculus units.

A federal complaint unsealed in November 2023 charged four men with conspiring to burglarize roughly 55 UPS warehouses across multiple states between 2021 and 2023, stealing approximately $1.6M in high-value items. The DOJ press release and follow-up reporting documented the complaint, locations targeted, and the patterns used (night/weekend breaks, teams, repeat targets).

Cargo theft in the U.S. isn’t just getting bigger — it’s getting smarter. The fastest-growing category isn’t the classic smash-and-grab at truck stops, but what industry experts now call strategic cargo theft. Instead of cutting locks or hijacking trailers, thieves impersonate carriers, forge documents, or exploit broker platforms to “legitimately” pick up loads. Once the freight is released, it vanishes into the gray market. Estimates suggest nearly one in five thefts in 2025 involves this kind of deception, and it’s rising fast.

Insider collusion is another worrying trend. Drivers, dispatchers, or warehouse employees have been caught feeding criminals route info, yard access, or load details. Combined with cyber-enabled tactics like GPS spoofing, hacked FMCSA records, and fraudulent double-brokering, cargo crime is shifting from brawn to brains. Thieves are gravitating toward categories that move fast and resell easily: electronics remain the top prize, but 2025 has also seen spikes in theft of copper and other metals, food and beverage products, home improvement goods, and automotive parts.

The numbers tell the story. CargoNet logged 884 theft incidents in Q2 2025, a 13% increase over the same quarter in 2024. Overhaul, another supply chain risk tracker, recorded more than 500 incidents in Q2 alone, reflecting a 33% year-over-year jump.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) estimates U.S. cargo theft losses climbed 27% in 2024 and are on pace to rise another 20-plus percent in 2025. Average losses per incident are also escalating, often surpassing $200,000, as organized groups deliberately chase higher-value loads.

Geographically, the map is expanding. California still leads as the epicenter of cargo theft — thanks to the Port of LA/Long Beach, the Inland Empire, and dense logistics hubs. Texas is a close second, with its cross-border freight volumes and long, unsecured highway corridors. The Midwest — Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio — is emerging as the new frontier for strategic theft, as groups push beyond traditional hotspots. Florida continues to see growing activity around food, beverage, and consumer shipments, while Washington has quietly become another high-risk state, especially near port facilities.

The message is clear: cargo theft in 2025 is not a random crime. It’s organized, data-driven, and national in scope. Companies that still see theft as an isolated “trucker’s problem” are missing the bigger picture: the entire supply chain is the target, and the attackers are adapting faster than the defenses.