The current economic downturn has inspired a new sort of modern piracy. The world of cargo theft has increased recently, as organized crime rings focusing on the theft of retail goods from commercial trucks in the United States have begun springing up with more and more frequency. As Charlie Morasch writes in his article "Grand Theft Cargo" in this month's issue of Land Line, these cargo theft rings operate like small-scale mafia families, preying on a field unprepared to adequately defend itself, and a system of investigation and prosecution which has not yet caught up with this new trend in the world of crime.
Punishments for first-time offenders convicted of cargo theft are relatively light compared to violent crime, however the U.S. Department of Justice reports that these modern day pirates are responsible for up to $1 million a day in cargo theft, and there is evidence that some of these crime rings may have connections to terrorist organizations abroad.
Enter TOMCATS, or Miami-Dade's Tactical Operations Multi-Agency Cargo Anti-Theft Squad. Miami is perfectly situated to not only be a U.S. hub for the shipping of legitimate cargo, but consequently also for the fencing of stolen and counterfeit goods. Thus, Miami-Dade has built a cargo theft squad of police and FBI personnel to investigate and prosecute this alarming trend. Read about the ways in which TOMCATS hopes to stop cargo losses to organized crime, as well as tips from longtime truckers for protecting cargo in this month's Land Line