Illinois sheriff follows stolen cargo trailer’s GPS tracker to warehouse stuffed with over $2 million in stolen goods
Investigators in Cook County, Illinois, traced a stolen cargo trailer’s GPS signal to a warehouse that authorities say was packed with stolen merchandise worth more than $2 million.
According to Patch, the investigation began after insurance-company investigators tracked a stolen Target cargo trailer that was taken from a Joliet facility on Dec. 13. The trailer’s GPS tracker led them to a warehouse on the 4100 block of 166th Street in Oak Forest.
Investigators said the stolen goods were taken from the Joliet facility in mid-December and were located through that GPS trail. The case involved investigators with the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Organized Retail unit.
For drivers, the case is a reminder of how quickly trailer theft can turn into a larger cargo-theft operation—and how increasingly common GPS tracking has become in recovering equipment and freight after a theft occurs.
Cargo theft remains a costly problem across the supply chain, and incidents like this highlight why shippers and carriers lean on layered security, including tracking devices, to help locate stolen trailers and recovered freight when theft happens.