Freight is rising to become the ‘signature crime’ of the early 21st century.

By Max Kvidera

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had John Raymond “Johnny Ray” Smith Jr. in its sights when the agency formed its major theft task force investigating cargo theft in January 2009.

Earlier this year, the Georgia man was arrested for trafficking in some 700 embroidery machines pilfered from a container in Tennessee. In June he pleaded guilty to three criminal charges for his role in an estimated $3 million interstate cargo theft ring that investigators say had been operating for four years.

The ring targeted retail shipments bound for Office Depot, Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy, stealing from trucks parked at motels, truckstops, rest areas and storage facilities, according to court papers.

Over the past 18 months, John Cannon, special agent in charge of the major theft unit, says the statewide task force has investigated more than 70 cases, collared about 50 individuals for cargo theft and seized $17 million in stolen goods. They have arrested some of the top thieves operating in the Atlanta area and along the Interstate 95 corridor to Savannah.

As impressive as their efforts might seem, they are only scratching the surface of stopping theft of cargo from transportation. Depending on the source, cargo theft loss nationwide is estimated at several hundred million to $30 billion annually. In the first half of 2010, FreightWatch International USA reported U.S. cargo theft losses from warehouse burglaries increased 5 percent to $102 million.