Cargo Theft In USA: A $30 billion racket









Each Year billion dollars’ worth of cargo is transported throughout America by ships, aircrafts and trucks. Many a times this freight falls prey to the cargo thieves before it could reach its rightful owner. Cargo theft is solely causing around $30 billion worth of loss to industries in the USA annually.





Cargo Thieves





Most of these groups target the high priced and easy to sell items. The cargo thieves are already tipped off regarding the upcoming shipments. 80-90% of the theft occur when the cargo is left unguarded. Cargo thieves use sophisticated techniques and are specially trained to unload the cargo in record time. Many a times there are instances where the thieves run away with the vehicle itself. This stolen merchandise is further sold to a wholesale buyer or sometimes it is exported to neighboring countries.





How Are People Affected ?





Cargo theft has a direct effect on the consumers. To understand the effect, let’s take an example of small town X in USA that depends on delivery trucks for transporting the food to their town. If the food items in this truck are stolen by some criminal group before it reaches town, then this directly affects the people of the town as there is a shortage in supply of food which consequently results in increase in food prices. It has been a huge problem in South American countries like Venezuela where poor population is resorting to cargo theft due to acute shortage of food in their country.