Three trailers of beef stolen in Nebraska; may be connected to other thefts

July 6, 2022

Ryan Witkowski

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Where’s the beef? That’s the question police in Grand Island, Neb., are looking to answer from a theft investigation.

On the weekend of June 24-25, three trailers full of meat products were reported stolen in the area. According to the Grand Island Police, two stolen tractors were used to steal three trailers full of meat between 2:36 p.m. Friday and 5:22 p.m. Saturday.

Grand Island Police Capt. Jim Deuring said the trailers were likely targeted by the thieves.

“I think they went around to look for reefer units that were running. The fact that they were all loaded with beef may imply that they had done some level of surveillance,” Duering told KSNB TV.

Duering added the thefts were likely not perpetrated by one individual and could be connected to other recent crimes.

“It does not look like it was possible for a single person to conduct these thefts,” Duering said. “Most likely it was a minimum of two people or more and then on top of that we have similar thefts of meat products in other areas, such as Colfax County and Omaha over the past several weeks that are probably related.”

The two stolen tractors and two of the three stolen trailers were discovered by Nebraska State Patrol outside Grand Island city limits. The trailers were empty. As of July 7, the third trailer, which reportedly contains $232,666 worth of beef from Greely, Colo.-based JBS Swift, was still missing. Duering says that, given the current market, the true value of the stolen cargo could be much higher.

“The first tractor and trailer that was taken had a little over $232,000 worth of meat,” he said. “If you look at the cost of beef right now, it can be anywhere between $200,000 to $1 million, depending on what meat cut was on board at the time.”

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for some cuts of beef have seen an increase of nearly 17% since May 2021. Grand Island police said the thefts are similar to those recently reported in Schuyler, Neb., and Omaha, Neb. raising suspicions of a developing national trend.

Jersey City, N.J.-based CargoNet is a company whose goal is to “prevent cargo theft and increase recovery rates through secure and controlled information sharing among theft victims, their business partners, law enforcement and National Insurance Crime Bureau.” They use cargo theft data to analyze national trends. Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at Verisk – the parent company to CargoNet – isn’t ready to declare it a trend just yet.

“Three trailer loads of beef stolen out of the Midwest probably really wouldn’t send my antennas up. You know, if it was three a week for a month or so compared to all the other thefts that we take in, now I would start paying a little closer attention to it … but it’s not something that’s on my radar right now.”

Lewis acknowledged the recent string of thefts in Nebraska is likely related, but he dismissed the idea that thefts of this nature are part of a bigger national trend. He says that food and beverage thefts are currently not at the top of the list when it comes to targeted commodities.

“We just haven’t seen this trend. Right now what we’re trending No. 1 are vehicle accessories and parts,” Lewis said. “The issue of vehicles being in short demand and parts to repair older vehicles is kind of driving that bus right now as far as our leading type of theft. And then household electronics and food and beverage. I’d say five years ago food and beverage was No. 1, but it’s not right now.”

Lewis said that while inflated prices could make beef a desirable commodity to thieves, the issues that come with unloading a stolen trailer full of meat likely would outweigh the reward.  

“Obviously, food prices are going to play a factor in this, but you’re talking about a type of load that you’ve got to keep refrigerated and you’ve got to have a specific type of group,” he said. “You’ve got to have a buyer for this, because if you don’t have a buyer in a few days you’re going to be just discarding that trailer, and it’s going to wind up probably going to the landfill.”

While the merits of this becoming a national epidemic of beef burglaries is debatable, cargo theft can and will occur. Doug Morris, director of safety and security operations with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, says that the best deterrence against theft starts with the driver.

“Drivers need to be cognizant where they park their loads, and the longer it sits without someone watching the load, the longer it’s a target,” Morris told Land Line. “There are a host of anti-theft devices out there, such as GPS trackers, kingpin locks, etc., but the best deterrent is the driver keeping an eye on his rig.”

Lewis echoed those sentiments and emphasized the importance of using trailer locks.

“Be vigilant about your surroundings and use a lock on your trailer,” he said. “If you can slow a thief down by, say, three minutes, they’re going to go to somewhere else.”

Morris added that drivers can avoid being targeted by not sharing information about the cargo they are carrying.

“They should never discuss the fact that they are hauling a high-value load to other drivers or basically anyone that does not need to know,” he said.

Officials are asking anyone with information about the stolen trucks and trailers to contact the Grand Island Police Department at 308-385-5400. LL