To avoid bad publicity, higher insurance rates, damage to reputation, embarrassment, etc., the exact dollar losses aren’t known. Industry experts estimate all cargo thefts ring up as much as $30 billion in losses each year. Cargo theft has many victims, from employees (i.e., drivers, warehouse workers) who can be hurt during an armed hijacking or robbery....to retailers who lose merchandise…to consumers who pay as much as 20 percent more to make up for cargo theft…to state and local governments who lose sales tax revenue…and even to insurance companies, manufacturers, and shipping companies. 

Any product being shipped is potentially a target, but cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, and especially computer electronic components are current high-value favorites being re-sold on the black market. Since the FBI’s jurisdiction doesn’t kick in until an interstate nexus is achieved, many of the cargo thefts in the U.S. are investigated by local law enforcement. But even when the FBI gets involved, they focus on criminal enterprises engaged in systemic or violent criminal acts. And if a case has an international nexus (as many do), the FBI will work with their legal attachés overseas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and international partners.