How Thieves Stole $400K Worth of Lobsters from Costco
Swift-fingered thieves made off with nearly half a million dollars worth of lobster from Costco thanks to a sneaky trick, NBC News reported.
Thieves Make Off with $400K Worth of Lobster
The valuable shellfish was meant to be trucked from Taunton, MA, to Costco locations in Illinois and Minnesota; but Rexing Companies, the Indiana-based freight company in charge of the lobsters’ safe delivery, claims that the freight never reached its destination. According to Dylan Rexing, the company’s owner, the thieves used an innovative technique to pull off the heist—they used fake IDs to take charge of the truck before making off with the loot.
“This theft wasn’t random. It followed a pattern we’re seeing more and more, where criminals impersonate legitimate carriers using spoofed emails and burner phones to hijack high-value freight while it’s in transit,” Rexing told NBC. “For a mid-sized brokerage like ours, a $400,000 loss is significant. It forces tough decisions and ultimately drives up costs across the supply chain, costs consumers ultimately end up paying.”
'We Need Federal Agencies to Keep Pace with Organized Criminal Networks'
Rexing is now sounding the alarm for other business owners who might be susceptible to similar schemes. “Brokers are on the front lines of this problem, but we need federal agencies to have modern enforcement tools to keep pace with organized criminal networks,” he implored. “Until that happens, these thefts will continue to disrupt businesses and impact everyday prices.”
In a separate interview given to Fox Chicago, Rexing implied that the robbery might be the work of a coordinated interstate cargo “theft ring.” “This is a huge issue across the country. It's a huge impact to our business,” he explained, adding that it affects everything from hiring to employee bonuses.
Federal agencies are working swiftly to halt cargo theft. Earlier this year, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched an initiative called Operation Boiling Point, which aims to dismantle criminal organizations which target cargo and retail supply. Costco did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Men’s Journal. The heist is currently under investigation by the FBI.