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A shipment of lobsters worth $400,000 destined for Costco locations in Illinois and Minnesota was diverted before arriving at its delivery points.
Dylan Rexing, CEO of Indiana-based logistics company Rexing Companies, said the shipment was picked up in Taunton, Massachusetts, but never reached its destination, WFLD reported. Rexing told the outlet that the heist appeared to be part of an organized network of merchandise thieves targeting high-value products.
“It’s a huge problem across the country,” Rexing told WFLD. “This has a direct impact on businesses and contributes to higher prices for consumers.”
The FBI is investigating the theft of a shipment of lobster. No arrests have been announced.
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Cooked lobsters are placed on ice at Woodman’s on July 12, 2025. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Earlier this year, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched Operation Boiling Point in an effort to combat organized retail crime. In its announcement of the operation, HSI said estimates show that cargo theft accounts for between $15 billion and $35 billion in annual losses.
Josh Edgcombe, co-owner of SoPo Seafood, takes a lobster out of the tank on Thursday, January 5, 2022. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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HSI said organized theft groups often target goods at ports of entry, truck stops, freight trains and various locations in the supply chain while the goods are in transit. Additionally, HSI noted that while organized theft groups targeting merchandise are not necessarily involved in organized retail crime, “they may be linked to common fencers/fencers who purchase the stolen goods.”
In September, the Department of Transportation issued a request for information seeking input from law enforcement, transportation agencies, cargo carriers and other industry stakeholders, as well as the public, on how it can better protect the U.S. supply chain from cargo theft.
Corey Morris measures a lobster while lobstering offshore near Tenants Harbor on Friday, June 24, 2016. The lobster has been released. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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“Cargo theft is a growing concern for the U.S. transportation system, costing the economy billions each year. These crimes involve opportunistic ‘steals’ of trailers, containers and loads from truck stops or multi-modal distribution centers and highly coordinated operations carried out by organized criminal networks. Both categories create significant economic losses, disrupt supply chains and, in some cases, fund broader illicit activities such as drug trafficking, counterfeiting and human trafficking,” summarizes the summary of the DOT’s request. bed.
Rexing Companies, the Illinois State Police, the Chicago FBI, the Minneapolis FBI and Costco did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
