[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 74 (Monday, May 19, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4210-H4211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1245
                   STEMMING THE SPREAD OF CARGO THEFT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cole). Pursuant to the order of the 
House of January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address a problem that has 
been below the Federal radar screen for far too long. Every year tens 
of billions of dollars are lost to cargo theft. This epidemic has 
plagued the United States for over 30 years, with little being done to 
stem its spread. With the prevalence of cargo theft today, insurance 
companies have placed a heavy burden on the trucking industry. The 
costs associated with investigation and insurance payments are only 
exacerbating what is already an industry crisis.
  Typical targets for cargo theft often include shipments of clothing, 
prescription drugs, computers and jewelry. A truckload of computer and 
microprocessors can be worth millions. A truckload of cigarettes, 
another common target, can be worth up to $2 million. The high value to 
volume ratio of high-tech goods has encouraged criminals previously 
involved in drug dealing to move into this area of activity where they 
run less risk of detection and suffer less severe penalties if caught.
  The National Cargo Security Council wants to see an increase in 
criminal penalties for cargo theft as well as employment of more 
trained cargo theft task forces. The Council reported that cargo worth 
$12 billion is stolen in the United States every year, and yet the 
penalties for cargo theft are lower than that for selling drugs.
  Cargo thieves employ creative means to prey upon cargo carriers and 
have managed to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Thieves know 
what they want and where they can find it. Striking cargo containers at 
ports, at trains and 18-wheelers, hijackers pry open the doors, remove 
the goods and replace them with bags of sand so that there is no change 
in weight. They will then proceed to put new pins in the hinges so the 
crime is not noticed until the containers are opened upon arrival.
  This manner of theft is known as ``leakage,'' in that thieves attack 
intermodal containers by defeating the integrity of the security seal. 
This practice often confounds investigators, since they have no idea at 
what point the cargo was stolen.
  Eighteen-wheeler cargo carriers now experience approximately 85 
percent of theft. Thieves will either roll the dice, stealing 
containers with unknown contents, or they will go as far as camping 
outside of distribution centers. This method, called ``full-load truck 
theft,'' involves monitoring shipments out of distribution centers that 
are known for putting out expensive goods. The thieves will then follow 
the trucks in rental cars, waiting for the right time to pounce. This 
will often occur at truck rest stops where the driver leaves the 
vehicle. The process can amazingly take but a few minutes. These 
professional criminals are usually licensed truck drivers who can 
hotwire a truck quickly and efficiently.
  Once goods are successfully stolen, they will be moved to port 
warehouses where they will wait to be exported. Depending upon where 
the goods are to be shipped, they will most likely be shipped to ports 
in Miami, Los Angeles or New York. The stolen cargo changes hands 
several times in what is a form of cargo laundering. By the time the 
cargo is ready for export, it is most likely to be seen as a legal 
shipment. Authorities have found it difficult to track outgoing cargo 
since outbound shipments are not checked, due to the fact that they are 
not subject to U.S. tariff laws.
  Mr. Speaker, Members in this Chamber need to be aware of this 
problem. It is time that we got aggressive and made our highways again 
safe for commerce. This country is in dire need of harsher criminal 
penalties, and this need can be proven by the fact that criminals are 
turning to cargo theft in hordes. Many criminals are abandoning

[[Page H4211]]

the drug trade for a crime just as lucrative but with lenient 
penalties.
  This body must make an example out of cargo thieves. We must let them 
know that they will not get away with just merely a slap on the hand. 
As sheriff's departments begin integrating special cargo theft task 
forces, we must arm them with the ability to prosecute criminals with 
stiffer penalties. Until we strengthen these laws, this 30-year-old 
crime wave will persist, threatening our ports, our roads and raping 
our economy of billions and billions of dollars.

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