CONCORD, N.H. – Picture an extravagant seafood spread, but with a sinister twist behind it. Recently, New England has witnessed a curious string of seafood thefts, leaving authorities baffled and businesses in disarray.

In an almost cinematic series of events, a massive haul of seafood has been snatched away, including a staggering 40,000 oysters, lobster valued at $400,000, and a significant amount of crabmeat—all disappearing in separate incidents over a brief period.

The first heist took place on November 22 in Falmouth, Maine. Here, the culprit made off with 14 cages brimming with mature oysters from an aquaculture site in Casco Bay. According to the Maine Marine Patrol, these oysters, ready to hit the market, along with their cages, were valued at $20,000.

Marine Patrol Sgt. Matthew Sinclair expressed the gravity of the loss, noting, “This is a devastating situation for a small businessman.”

Meanwhile, two additional thefts unfolded in Taunton, Massachusetts, approximately 160 miles away. The first incident involved the disappearance of a crab shipment from the Lineage Logistics warehouse on December 2. Following this, on December 12, lobster meat earmarked for Costco outlets in Illinois and Minnesota vanished, orchestrated by a fraudulent trucking operation, according to the broker who facilitated the shipment.

Dylan Rexing, CEO of Rexing Companies, shed light on this elaborate con job, explaining, “The carrier we hired impersonated a real carrier. They had a spoofed email address, altered the truck’s name, and even crafted a fake certified driver’s license. It’s a very sophisticated crime.”

Lineage Logistics, Costco and Taunton Police did not respond to requests for comment, but Rexing said police told him about the crab theft from the same warehouse.

That kind of cargo theft has been a problem for over a decade, he said, but has gotten worse in recent years.

“It happens every day, multiple times a day,” he said.

Freight theft generally falls into two categories, said Chris Burroughs, president and CEO of Transportation Intermediaries Association, a trade organization for the freight brokerage industry. The lobster heist fits in the first type, which involves someone impersonating a legitimate trucking company. The second type, known as strategic theft, often involves using phishing emails to gain access to computer systems and get paid without actually stealing the product.

“This is a massive growing problem that needs to get addressed,” he said.

Given its short shelf life, the stolen lobster likely ended up restaurants, both said. And while he’s seen plenty of quips about stealing butter to go with the lobster, Rexing said such thefts ultimately harm consumers.

“Whether you eat seafood or not, they’re stealing other items. They’re stealing items to build your cars. They’re stealing items that go into computers,” he said. “Ultimately, that cost gets thrown to the consumer.”