Fighting back

While cargo theft has been on the rise, law enforcement has been working to crack down on the crime rings.

In September, a federal court in the Southern District of Ohio sentenced Gurtej Singh to one year in prison and three years of supervised release. Singh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud earlier this year

Singh was the owner of Bhullar Transport Group, Roadhawk Transportation and Show Time Carrier. He was also the manager of Cargo Solutions Express, which is at the center of an indictment alleging a cargo theft scheme that overbilled shippers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, trucking companies managed by Singh would contract with shippers to haul only the customer’s cargo. Shippers would pay a higher rate to ensure their cargo was not mixed with cargo from another customer. To guarantee the reservation of a truck, a serialized plastic seal was installed on the trailer door. Receivers could compare the seal to the paperwork to verify that the trailer had not been opened.

As part of the cargo theft scheme, Singh would direct Cargo Solutions Express employees to remove the entire trailer-locking mechanism, which required cutting and replacing bolts.

In other cases, employees would alter the seal serial numbers and paperwork. After opening the trailer, they would consolidate cargo from separate companies into one truck despite shippers paying a premium to reserve a truck.

The cargo theft scheme did not stop at generating higher profits by consolidating cargo. Singh and others also would take cargo for their personal use or sell the stolen items to pawn shops or other people.

Among the stolen items were more than 150 Shark Ion Robot RV750 vacuum cleaners and dozens of Samsung 32-inch curved computer monitors. One text message on an employee’s phone shows two of those monitors in use at the Columbus warehouse. About 10 of the vacuums were sold to a local pawn shop for $850, and about nine computer monitors were sold to the pawn shop for $840.

At least 174 vacuums valued at nearly $41,000 were stolen in the cargo theft scheme. Those vacuums were destined for an Amazon fulfillment center in Ohio. Singh also stole 10 pallets of Bath and Body Works products worth nearly $230,000.

In addition to the fraud charge, Singh was indicted for making false statements to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. When filling out the application for motor property authority for Bhullar Transport Group, he failed to declare his relationship with Cargo Solutions Express, Roadhawk Transportation and Show Time Carrier. The agency requires applicants to declare any relationship with any FMCSA-regulated entity within the past three years.

New Jersey investigation leads to arrests

Also in September, police in New Jersey arrested four men believed to be connected to a cargo theft ring responsible for crimes in multiple states.

New Jersey State Police arrested Shaun Coleman, 23, Salahudin Reddy, 37, Hanif Tucker, 31, and Rashan Clark-Reddy, 26, all of Philadelphia, during an attempted burglary at the Molly Pitcher Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Officers said they observed the four men at the service area “working in coordination to burglarize a parked, occupied tractor-trailer, stealing boxes containing meat.” During the arrest, two of the suspects – Salahudin Reddy and Rashan Clark-Reddy – “intentionally” rammed an occupied, unmarked police car as they attempted to flee in a stolen vehicle.

As of press time, the four men were facing numerous charges as a result of the incident, including receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy to commit cargo theft and criminal mischief.

The arrests followed a two-month investigation by the New Jersey State Police Troop D Criminal Investigations Office tabbed “Operation Beef Bandit.” This investigation targeted an organized cargo theft operation that officials said was “responsible for a series of nine burglaries at service areas along the New Jersey Turnpike.” LL

Land Line Staff Writer Ryan Witkowski contributed to this report.