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The people who make up a typical truck cargo theft group generally consist of the
following:
Fingerman:
Supplies information to the gang as to the location of the truck and trailer to be
stolen, describing the vehicle and its cargo, location at the terminal or route of
travel. This includes time of departure, schedule of stops and time of arrival. The
fingerman is almost always an employee of the company to be victimized, or a
close associate of a company employee.
Spotter:
After obtaining the information from the fingerman, the spotter locates the truck to
be stolen and follows it in his car. If he discovers “heat” in the area and feels they
may be alert to theft, he signals this information and the truck will be abandoned.
If all goes well, he will follow the stolen vehicle to the “drop”, a warehouse, garage
or sometimes barn.
Drivers:
These are the individuals who actually do the stealing. Generally, they are
experienced truck drivers, some currently employed as line drivers. The money
involved, weighed against the low risk of a “setup” theft, makes the offer very
attractive.
Fence:
Without the fence, all truck and cargo thieves would be on their own disposing of
stolen goods. While this can be done, most thieves lack the contact necessary for
wholesale disposal of stolen parts or cargoes. In the case of parts themselves,
most items are sold to truck parts specialty houses, wreckers and fleet operators.
These persons later claim to have had no knowledge of the stolen nature of the
property they purchased.
With respect to stolen goods, the type of fence depends on the nature of the
cargo. Restaurants and smaller stores generally handle liquor, meat, grocery, and
produce thefts. The value of the property is generally discounted heavily from its
true worth. Clothing, electronics, tvs and electrical appliances are frequently sold
online in places like Ebay (though Ebay is cracking down on this type of
transaction) and low tech places like so-called discount houses, surplus stores and
flea markets.
Following the removal of the stolen tractor and trailer to the pre-selected
warehouse or barn, the load is removed for distribution. The tractor and trailer are
either dismantled, the identity changed, or they are abandoned at another location.
Frequently, the cargo is loaded into rented van trucks and driven to the fence.
Great care is taken to make this phase appear to be a common transport of
material. For instance, in one case, 10 stolen forklifts were transported in rented
van trucks. A bicycle was tied on the back of each truck. From the outside
appearance – a family on the move. On the inside – stolen property.
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