Efforts to Combat Rising Cargo Theft in the U.S.

Train robberies might be seen as remnants of the Old West, but cargo theft remains a significant issue today. The Department of Homeland Security estimates cargo theft costs the U.S. between $15 billion to $35 billion annually. In 2025, the FBI reported cargo theft losses in the U.S. and Canada amounted to nearly $725 million, showing a 60% increase from 2024.

Law enforcement agencies are intensifying their efforts to combat this criminal activity which places an added financial burden on consumers. When manufacturers experience theft of large shipments, they often increase prices to offset their losses, subsequently affecting consumer prices.

In an unprecedented national operation covered exclusively by CBS News, federal agents, railroad police, and law enforcement across more than two dozen states coordinated efforts to tackle cargo theft. They employed infrared drone cameras to track down thieves targeting cargo trains, providing them a strategic advantage.

“It’s like a third eye in the sky, you know, so it helps us out. It gives us an advantage,” said Commander Michael Ware, head of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Organized Retail Crime and Cargo Theft Task Force.

Cook County, Illinois now ranks third in the nation for cargo theft, following California and Texas, as per data from Verisk Cargonet. Information from law enforcement partners across the country aids officers in preparation, like from the California Highway Patrol and L.A. County.

Infrared drones detect heat signatures along train tracks and rail yards. Drone operators observe white silhouettes moving on tracks and inside cargo containers, relaying this information to officers on the ground. In one instance, video footage showed two men breaking seals on a cargo container filled with $35,000-worth of electronics. Once the thieves are identified from above, squads stealthily approach, sealing off exits without using lights or sirens. Attempts to hide are futile as their body heat remains detectable.

“A lot of times we apprehend the guys and they come out like there’s no way we have no proof. I wasn’t in a container and they see the drone footage like ‘you got me.’ So it’s a game-changer,” Ware stated.

Cargo thieves target everything from big-screen TVs and game consoles to designer sneakers and even cereal. They operate swiftly, boarding slow-moving trains, breaking seals, and tossing stolen items into waiting vans.

“Money. It’s lucrative, you know. It’s just as lucrative as narcotics,” explained Ware, discussing the rise in cargo theft.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart emphasizes the crime’s significance.

“People were being looted and the numbers were staggering and the point that we had driven home to us almost immediately, it was highly organized,” he says.

With the approaching holiday season, Ware notes that the goods stolen from trains may soon reflect on price hikes for consumers.