Thefts of high-value cargoes aren’t anything new, in the United States or elsewhere. But this one’s a tad unusual in that it was a shipment of lobsters that was stolen, prompting an investigation by some pretty hard-shelled characters from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter – and you’d butter believe they are on a roll.
A $400,000 shipment of lobsters headed for Costco locations in Illinois and Minnesota was hijacked before arriving at its delivery points.
Dylan Rexing, CEO of Indiana-based logistics business Rexing Companies, said the shipment was picked up in Taunton, Mass., but never reached its destination, WFLD reported. Rexing told the outlet that the heist appeared to be part of an organized ring of cargo thieves targeting high-value products.
“This is a huge issue across the country,” Rexing told WFLD. “It directly impacts businesses and contributes to higher prices for consumers.”
The FBI is investigating the lobster shipment theft. No arrests have been announced.
Lobster, we might note, is indeed a high-value target. Lobster prices appear to be somewhat off at the moment, but are still ranging around $10.00 a pound. That’s less than the price of a really good steak (by “good” I mean “Black Angus”), but it’s still a high-value item, enough that the victims of the theft will be feeling the pinch.
If the FBI catches up with the thieves, they are sure to be in hot water. Once the Bureau gets involved, the thieves should have trouble finding shell-ter. The Department of Homeland Security is mussel-ing in on the investigation as well.
Earlier this year, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched Operation Boiling Point with the goal of tackling organized retail crime. In its announcement of the operation, HSI stated that estimates show cargo theft accounts for $15–35 billion in annual losses.
HSI said that organized theft groups often target cargo at ports of entry, truck stops, freight trains and in various places along the supply chain while goods are in transit. Additionally, HSI noted that while organized theft groups targeting cargo may not necessarily be involved in organized retail crime, “they can be linked to common fences/fencers that are purchasing the stolen goods.”
All kidding aside, this is part of a serious problem. Cargo theft losses, as noted above, are around $15-35 billion per annum, and while the HSI isn’t offering specifics, it makes one wonder how many of these thefts are taken directly out of the big-rig trucks that are the red corpuscles of the nation’s bloodstream; and further, it makes one wonder about the thousands of unscreened, unvetted illegal aliens who have been given commercial drivers’ licenses (CDL) by states like California.
There’s a lot of cargo tide up in these rigs. The Trump administration should take another look at this, maybe give the investigators a license to krill.
Read More: This, Too, Shall Pass: Cops Recover Swallowed Fabergé Pendant
Smooth Criminals: 4 Men Get Busted for Trying to Cash $27M+ Treasury Check
As of this writing, there’s been no confirmation of the rumor that a certain jolly old elf will be making an additional flight to deliver an additional gift of lobsters to all the good girls and boys, but then, Santa Claws has been busy over the last 24 hours or so.
I’ll be here all week. Try the lobster. Unless, of course, it was stolen.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the hard-shelled opposition of the left? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code MERRY74 to pinch 74% off your membership.
