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Manhattan Indicts Eight in Cyber‑Aided Cargo Theft Ring

Prosecutors say hackers, forged invoices and fake carrier identities let the group divert millions in wholesale goods into New York for sale on the black market.

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A surveillance image of alleged suspects in a national wholesale theft ring.
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Overview

  • Prosecutors announced Wednesday that eight people were indicted on conspiracy and varying grand larceny counts after coordinated raids and arrests in Manhattan, with at least two defendants held in ICE custody and others arraigned and pleading not guilty.
  • Authorities say the ring used phishing and hacked shipping‑broker accounts to win pickup bids, then showed up at logistics centers with forged paperwork and trucks bearing real carrier names to collect and divert shipments.
  • Investigators allege six thefts between October 2025 and April 2026 that took roughly $4.5 million to $5 million in goods, including about $3.3 million in cigarettes, $432,000 in cheese (about 25,000 pounds), $295,000 in beef, $165,000 in lamb, and over $266,000 in copper.
  • Searches seized computers, phones, WhatsApp messages, shipping records, photos, license plates and other documents that prosecutors cite in court filings as linking the suspects to the scheme.
  • The Manhattan DA, NYPD, Port Authority police and the FBI say the multi‑agency probe is ongoing as they trace sales through black‑market channels, assess losses to small suppliers and monitor whether the group links to similar cargo‑theft networks nationwide.