New Jersey State Police (NJSP) arrested four men they say are responsible for the theft of USD 305,000 (EUR 273,500) worth of shrimp bound for a New Jersey Costco outlet.
NJSP arrested four men from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., as part of "Operation Beef Bandit," an organized criminal ring responsible for a series of nine burglaries at service areas along the New Jersey Turnpike, according to WPVI-TV.
On 17 September, police arrested Shaun Coleman, 23; Salahudin Reddy, 37; Hanif Tucker, 31; and Rashan Clark-Reddy, 26; after they broke into a parked, occupied tractor-trailer at the Molly Pitcher Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Over the past three years, the crew broke into parked, often occupied, trailers and stole millions of dollars’ worth of high-value goods including meat, alcohol, and seafood, according to NJSP Detective Justin Trudell
"They've been targeting tractor-trailers overnight in our service areas while the truck drivers were sleeping," Trudell said.
Two of the suspects allegedly intentionally rammed an occupied unmarked police car, and three troopers sustained minor injuries during the arrest.
NJSP Sargeant Charles Marchan confirmed to SeafoodSource the 12 September theft of a truck from a warehouse in Middlesex, New Jersey, is linked to the Operation Beef Bandit crime ring.
In that case, the truck contained USD 305,000 worth of shrimp that was bound for a Costco in Monroe, New Jersey. The reported value of the stolen tractor-trailer was USD 50,000 (EUR 44,800), bringing the total loss to USD 355,000 (EUR 318,000).
The four men were charged with receiving stolen property, possession of burglar tools, conspiracy to commit cargo theft, and criminal mischief.
NJSP said they do not know whether the arrested suspects were responsible for two recent Philadelphia cargo thefts that involved valuable loads of seafood.
On 4 September in Philadelphia, thieves stole an estimated USD 42,000 (EUR 37,650) worth of crab from a parked tractor-trailer, according to a Philadelphia Police Department report.
“A 49-year-old male reported to police that while he was asleep inside his tractor-trailer, he felt movements coming from the rear of the vehicle. Upon checking, he observed approximately six males stealing boxes of crab meat,” the police report stated.
The names of the seafood supplier and its customer were not provided.
On 8 August, one pallet of tuna with an undisclosed value was stolen from a parked tractor-trailer in the same city, according to a separate Philadelphia Police Department report. Again, no information on the seafood supplier or customer was provided.
