Hijacked Food Accounts for Over 30 Percent of Cargo Theft
North American shipments were hit hard in 2018
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There’s an uptick in stolen food — including 48 tons of avocados
Thefts from California avocado farms are common, but that’s small potatoes compared to Mexico’s Michoacán, where 48 tons of avocados can be stolen in a single day. Hijacked food and beverage shipments accounted for 34 percent of North American cargo thefts in 2018, and criminals even target food waste. Federal officials just busted bandits who stole $3.9 million worth of used cooking oil from restaurants. The “yellow grease” is used for livestock feed and biodiesel, and 100 pounds of it is worth $25. U.S. rendering plants lose up to $75 million worth of the stuff to thieves annually. This type of crime is as common as french fries, and it’s growing.
Ice cream sales and crime rates both rise in the summer, and sometimes those phenomena are linked. During June’s Operation Meltdown, New York City police scooped up 46 scofflaw ice cream trucks for $4.5 million in unpaid traffic tickets. When tickets accumulated, ice cream truck owners changed the names of their shell corporations and re-registered the vehicles. In the past, ice cream trucks have waged bitter turf wars on each other, sold drugs…
