FBI Director Louis J. Freeh announced
today that over 100 persons are being charged in 18 cities from
coast to coast in a large-scale law enforcement operation targeting
cargo theft that includes theft of computers and other high technology
equipment. Sixteen other persons were charged with stealing motor
vehicles as part of the FBI's continuing "Operation Sudden
Stop" vehicle cargo theft initiative.
Director Freeh said, "Cargo
theft is a major crime problem throughout the nation, with some
estimates of losses ranging up to $10 billion a year."
Freeh said, "We expect this
joint operation of federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies to eventually make significant inroads on cargo theft
now carried out by a wide range of organized groups in all regions
of the country."
Freeh said 104 persons are being
charged or arrested in the FBI's Albany, Birmingham, Buffalo,
Charlotte, Chicago, Columbia, Dallas, Detroit, Jackson, Little
Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Newark, New York City, San
Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C., field offices relating
to cargo theft.
The cargo theft charges from
the second phase of a larger nationwide anti-crime program, Operation
Sudden Stop--which targets motor vehicle cargo theft. The first
phase of Sudden Stop occurred April 27, when more than 200 persons
in 22 cities were charged in a nationwide crackdown on criminal
organizations stealing motor vehicles. Sixteen persons in Houston,
New Orleans, New York and Mobile were also charged with motor
vehicle thefts stemming from the initial phase of Operation Sudden
Stop.
Operation Sudden Stop is being
carried out by large numbers of task forces which are composed
of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and a large
number of United States Attorneys and local prosecutors, according
to Assistant FBI Director Thomas J. Pickard of the Criminal Investigative
Division.
Pickard said, "Vehicle and
cargo thefts are becoming crimes of choice for organized criminal
groups. Penalties are often relatively light and the potential
for illegal profits is huge.
"Cargo theft is increasingly
being committed by groups that target valuable commodities or
steal on demand for fences and illegitimate wholesalers who sell
the goods themselves or place the stolen property into domestic
and foreign black markets where it is introduced into legitimate
retail markets," Pickard said. He said, "A million
dollars or more worth of memory chips can easily fit in the back
of a car."
One insurance group has estimated
that consumers may be paying an extra $100 on the average price
of a personal computer from a legitimate dealer because of the
cost of high-tech thefts.
Motor vehicle theft continues
to be a major crime problem. The April 27 arrests on motor theft
charges were carried out in Cleveland, Columbia, Detroit, Houston,
Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami,
Mobile, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San
Antonio, San Diego, San Juan, Springfield, St. Louis, and Tampa.
Today's arrests are a continuation of that initial effort.
Within the Criminal Investigative
Division, Operation Sudden Stop is coordinated by the Violent
Crimes and Major Offenders Section, Interstate Theft/Government
Reservation Crimes Unit.