Police uncover bizarre organized crime ring
When one thinks of international organized crime rackets, one likely imagines the dramatic Hollywood crime movies that feature pinstripe-suited Italian gangsters running numbers, or tattooed Russian mafia thugs smuggling guns, or violent Mexican cartels dealing drugs.
What one doesn’t think of, though, is thieves stealing trucks full of pistachios and almonds.
But authorities say those are the targets of a sophisticated international crime ring. And they’re stealing millions of dollars every year.
Gangsters targeting California’s booming agriculture industry are increasingly stealing truckloads of high-value nuts, prompting authorities and the firms falling victim to ramp up efforts to break the crime spree.
The sophisticated organizations in many cases use high-tech tactics, hacking into trucking companies to steal their identity. Armed with false shipping papers, they pose as legitimate truckers, driving off with loads of nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pistachios valued at $150,000, and some worth $500,000 each.
Source: The Horn News
https://thehornnews.com/police-uncover- ... rime-ring/