Cargo thieves are committing fewer heists but targeting more valuable goods, as organized crime groups apply strategies like impersonation and targeted commodity selection, according to a report from Verisk CargoNet.That conclusion comes from first quarter crime statistics, as Verisk CargoNet recorded 767 supply chain crime events across the United States and Canada in that period, a 5.3% decrease from Q1 2025 and a 12.2% decline from Q4 2025. Despite fewer incidents, estimated losses reached $131.58 million, essentially unchanged from Q1 2025, and confirmed cargo theft reports rose by 41 incidents to 596 of 767 total events.The New Jersey-based firm said those numbers show a clear pattern: reduced activity from domestic criminal organizations, particularly in Texas and the Southeast, paired with sustained or growing activity by organized crime groups with a nexus in California and the New York City metropolitan area. That shift is reflected not only in where cargo theft is occurring, but in what is being stolen and how.For example, analysis of the type of goods stolen showed that personal care and beauty products saw the quarter’s sharpest increase, jumping from 18 events in Q1 2025 to 50—a rise of 178 percent, driven by cosmetics and fragrances, predominantly in the Northeast. Within food and beverage, which remained the top category at 144 events, the composition shifted: beverage theft declined while seafood targeting climbed sharply. Building materials fell from 21 events to 8, a category historically dominated by domestic groups operating seasonally in North Texas. And categories such as building…
