BLOG — SUPPLY CHAIN SECURITY    ·    8 min read Cargo Theft Intelligence: Why Your Distribution Business Needs FBI and CBP Relationships Before It Needs Them The case for building law enforcement liaison before an incident — not after

By Mitchell Hamm  |  Founder & Principal Advisor, Ironside Risk Advisors  |  Dallas, TX

In the spring of 2024, organized cargo theft in the United States reached a level that FreightWaves described as an epidemic. According to CargoNet data, cargo theft incidents increased significantly year-over-year, with average load values in targeted theft events exceeding $200,000. Pharmaceutical loads. Electronics. High-value consumer goods. The groups conducting these thefts are not opportunists. They are organized, intelligence-driven operations that conduct systematic reconnaissance before they strike.

Here is what that reconnaissance looks like from the inside of a distribution operation: the group identifies a facility with a high-value throughput profile. They map the yard layout, often through public satellite imagery supplemented by physical drive-bys. They identify driver shift patterns, gate open and close times, and seal verification practices — or more precisely, the absence of them. They establish which carriers regularly service the facility and whether those carriers have adequate driver screening programs. They confirm whether the facility has relationships with law enforcement and, if so, how responsive that law enforcement is likely to be.

By the time a facility is targeted, the group has already made a calculated assessment that the risk-to-reward ratio is favorable. Your response capability is part of that calculation.

$200K+ Average value of targeted cargo theft events

47% Of cargo theft involves fictitious pickup or fraud

72 hrs Typical window before stolen cargo is moved out of region

$15B+ Estimated annual cargo theft losses in the US

The Intelligence Problem

The single most asymmetric investment a distribution operator can make against organized cargo theft is not physical security — though physical security matters. It is intelligence. Specifically, it is the intelligence that comes from active, pre-established relationships with law enforcement agencies that specialize in cargo theft.

Here is why. When a facility experiences a cargo theft event and calls local police for the first time, the responding officers are starting from zero. They do not know the facility. They do not know the carrier involved. They do not know whether the theft is part of a regional organized group’s pattern of activity or an isolated event. The investigation begins with no context.

Contrast that with a facility that has an existing relationship with the FBI’s cargo theft squad, the local police department’s organized crime or commercial crimes unit, and CBP if international freight is involved. When that facility calls its FBI contact, the agent already knows the operation. They may already have intelligence on the group responsible. They know the facility’s product profile, its regular carriers, and its security posture. The investigation begins with context, and the probability of recovery — and prosecution — is dramatically higher.

By the time a facility is targeted, organized theft groups have already assessed your response capability. Law enforcement relationships are part of what they are measuring.

The Specific Relationships That Matter

FBI — Cargo Theft and Organized Crime Squads

Most FBI field offices have a dedicated cargo theft or organized crime squad. These agents work organized retail crime, freight fraud, and cargo theft cases. They maintain intelligence on active groups operating in their jurisdiction, share information across field offices through national databases, and can escalate cases that cross state lines — which most organized cargo theft does.

Establishing a relationship with the relevant FBI field office is straightforward. Contact the field office, ask to speak with the commercial crimes or cargo theft unit, and introduce your operation. Provide the facility’s address, the primary product categories you handle, your average load values, and your key carrier relationships. Ask to be added to any regional intelligence sharing alerts the office distributes. This conversation takes twenty minutes and costs nothing.

CBP — Customs and Border Protection

If your operation handles international freight — imports, cross-border shipments, or goods moving through customs — a CBP relationship is essential. CBP has jurisdiction over import security and can flag shipments, assist with fraudulent BOL investigations, and share intelligence on foreign-origin theft organizations operating at the border. Their C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) program also offers supply chain security benefits for participating importers and carriers.

Local Law Enforcement — Commercial Crimes Units

Local police departments in major freight corridors increasingly have dedicated commercial crimes or cargo theft units. In the DFW area, for example, both Dallas PD and several suburban departments have units that work cargo theft cases actively. These relationships matter because most theft events — even organized ones — involve a local ground component. The driver who facilitates a fictitious pickup, the warehouse employee who enables a diversion — these are local actors investigated by local law enforcement.

NCSC and Industry Intelligence Networks

The National Cargo Security Council maintains a network of industry members and law enforcement contacts who share intelligence on cargo theft incidents, emerging threat patterns, and regional group activity. Membership is relatively inexpensive and the intelligence value — particularly the regional alert system — is significant. CargoNet and FreightWatch offer similar commercial intelligence services that identify theft patterns across their subscriber networks.

What to Do After an Incident

Even with established relationships, the first 72 hours after a cargo theft event are critical. Here is the response sequence:

• Preserve the scene: Do not disturb the dock, the yard, or the trailer. Secure and preserve CCTV footage immediately — download it before it is overwritten. Document everything with photographs before any cleanup.
• File a police report: Call law enforcement immediately, even if the investigation seems unlikely to produce a quick recovery. The police report is required for insurance claims, freight claims, and any future prosecution.
• Contact your FBI liaison: Brief them on the incident. Provide the trailer number, seal number (if applicable), load description, carrier name, driver information, and any surveillance footage or documentation. Ask whether the incident pattern matches any known active group in the region.
• File a CargoNet report: Within 24 hours. This feeds regional intelligence networks and alerts other facilities and law enforcement to the specific load details and theft method.
• File the freight claim: Against the carrier, within the contractual claim window. Do not wait. Document the shortage or loss with the police report, the CargoNet filing, and the internal incident report.
• Conduct a post-incident review: Within 30 days, assess what control failure enabled the theft. Update procedures accordingly. Brief the law enforcement contacts on any intelligence gathered during the internal investigation.

The Bottom Line for PE-Backed Distribution Operations

PE firms acquiring distribution, 3PL, or freight businesses frequently inherit facilities with no law enforcement relationships, no cargo theft incident response protocol, and no intelligence network membership. The gaps are invisible until an incident occurs. At that point, the cost — in product, in insurance claims, in management distraction, and in the difficulty of the investigation — is entirely avoidable.

Building law enforcement relationships takes a single phone call per agency. Joining CargoNet or NCSC takes a form and a modest annual fee. The investment is trivial. The return — in deterrence, in investigation quality, and in recovery probability — is not.

Organized cargo theft groups assess their targets before they strike. Make sure they assess your facility and conclude that the response capability is not worth the risk.

IRONSIDE NOTE

Every Ironside Supply Chain Cargo Security Audit includes a law enforcement liaison assessment — identifying the relevant FBI, CBP, and local commercial crimes contacts for the facility’s jurisdiction and establishing the initial relationship on behalf of the client.

About Ironside Risk Advisors Ironside Risk Advisors provides fractional loss prevention and cargo security advisory to private equity firms with retail and supply chain portfolio companies. Founded by Mitchell Hamm — 10+ years across a PE-backed multi-site retail operator and corporate security — the firm specializes in pre-acquisition risk assessment, post-close LP buildout, and ongoing fractional LP leadership. mitch@ironsideriskadvisors.com  ·  (502) 608-7389  ·  ironsideriskadvisors.com  ·  Dallas, TX