An audacious theft has unfolded with a shipment of lobster worth $400,000 intended for Costco stores. The heist, believed to be orchestrated by an organized crime ring, involved hijackers masquerading as a legitimate carrier, according to insights from the CEO of an Indiana-based logistics firm.
In Washington, the CEO of Rexing Companies, Dylan Rexing, recounted to WHDH how his company was hired to secure a driver to transport the lobsters from Massachusetts to the Midwest on December 12. However, the situation took a sinister turn when the chosen carrier abruptly disabled their GPS tracking device shortly after departing with the valuable cargo, effectively disappearing without a trace.
Rexing revealed the alarming discovery that the driver had used a fake identity, misleading the company by posing as a legitimate carrier. This revelation underscores the sophistication of the criminal operation behind the theft.
Speaking to FOX 32 Chicago, Rexing described the incident as a significant blow to his business. “It’s disheartening,” he admitted. “With $400,000, we could have hired many people. For a company with 100 employees, this is a hard hit, but we will persevere. Sadly, the lobsters are gone, but my aim is to bring attention to the severity of this issue across the nation.”
In an interview with FOX 32 Chicago, Rexing explained that the situation is a tough pill to swallow.
“$400,000 is a lot of people we can hire, so it’s a little heartbreaking, our business overall we have 100 employees so it’s a large pill to swallow for us,” he said. “We’ll get through that and frankly, the lobster is gone, I know that, I’m here today to shed light on the issue so folks around the country know how big a problem this really is.”
The CEO of the Evansville, Indiana-based company also said he was told by police there had been a similar theft of crab from the same Massachusetts facility just a few days prior.
“It’s pretty safe to say this is a theft ring of some sort, I’m not sure exactly who’s involved,” Rexing added.
According to Rexing, the FBI is involved in the investigation but said these sort of thefts are becoming a huge problem for the industry and they need more resources to catch those involved.
