Posted on 12/26/2025 6:07:58 AM PST by Red Badger
Thefts of high-value cargoes aren't anything new, in the United States or elsewhere. But this one's a tad unusual in that it was a shipment of lobsters that was stolen, prompting an investigation by some pretty hard-shelled characters from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter - and you'd butter believe they are on a roll.
A $400,000 shipment of lobsters headed for Costco locations in Illinois and Minnesota was hijacked before arriving at its delivery points.
Dylan Rexing, CEO of Indiana-based logistics business Rexing Companies, said the shipment was picked up in Taunton, Mass., but never reached its destination, WFLD reported. Rexing told the outlet that the heist appeared to be part of an organized ring of cargo thieves targeting high-value products.
"This is a huge issue across the country," Rexing told WFLD. "It directly impacts businesses and contributes to higher prices for consumers."
The FBI is investigating the lobster shipment theft. No arrests have been announced.
Lobster, we might note, is indeed a high-value target. Lobster prices appear to be somewhat off at the moment, but are still ranging around $10.00 a pound. That's less than the price of a really good steak (by "good" I mean "Black Angus"), but it's still a high-value item, enough that the victims of the theft will be feeling the pinch.
If the FBI catches up with the thieves, they are sure to be in hot water. Once the Bureau gets involved, the thieves should have trouble finding shell-ter. The Department of Homeland Security is mussel-ing in on the investigation as well.
Earlier this year, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) launched Operation Boiling Point with the goal of tackling organized retail crime. In its announcement of the operation, HSI stated that estimates show cargo theft accounts for $15–35 billion in annual losses.
HSI said that organized theft groups often target cargo at ports of entry, truck stops, freight trains and in various places along the supply chain while goods are in transit. Additionally, HSI noted that while organized theft groups targeting cargo may not necessarily be involved in organized retail crime, "they can be linked to common fences/fencers that are purchasing the stolen goods."
All kidding aside, this is part of a serious problem. Cargo theft losses, as noted above, are around $15-35 billion per annum, and while the HSI isn't offering specifics, it makes one wonder how many of these thefts are taken directly out of the big-rig trucks that are the red corpuscles of the nation's bloodstream; and further, it makes one wonder about the thousands of unscreened, unvetted illegal aliens who have been given commercial drivers' licenses (CDL) by states like California.
There's a lot of cargo tide up in these rigs. The Trump administration should take another look at this, maybe give the investigators a license to krill.
As of this writing, there's been no confirmation of the rumor that a certain jolly old elf will be making an additional flight to deliver an additional gift of lobsters to all the good girls and boys, but then, Santa Claws has been busy over the last 24 hours or so.
I'll be here all week. Try the lobster. Unless, of course, it was stolen.
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“He was one of the biggest hijackers...of booze, cigarettes, razor blades, shrimp and lobsters. Shrimp and lobsters were best. They went fast.” - Goodfellas
Lobster-Claw LOL!
They have trackers available for containers. They may want to invest in some
“A $400,000 shipment of lobsters headed for Costco locations in Illinois and Minnesota was hijacked before arriving at its delivery points.”
Being a fairly unique commodity I hope they have a plan for getting rid of ‘em, because I sure can’t think of one.
Wasn’t me. Pass the butter...
Bah humbug on live lobsters. Get me some King crab, the ultimate crustacean in this nation.
1. Where exactly do Wisconsin Lobsters come from?
2. If the grand opening of the Obama Library features a lot of lobster at the buffest, check for receipts.
Given all the puns in the article, I had to go back to make sure it wasn’t The Bee.
Now for my own pun-ny contribution: With the FBI involved, will the punishment include a clawback element? Do they break down the door while shouting “Claws Up!”?
First bring your Olympic-size swimming pool to a good rolling boil...
Claws are too dangerous. They should be banned.
Shipments were for Minnesota!
Ask the Somalis
Since it was around Christmas, they must have been Santa claws.
Will the perpetrators be pinched? The investigation is ongoing....
It will be very easy to get rid of them... Plenty of mafia owned or operated restaurants are out there and lobster is a Christmas treat that many people take part in at this time of the year. Lobster rolls for Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are a pretty strong tradition in the eastern and New England states.
They’ll be eaten quickly... And they’ll be yummy!
They don’t know what lobsters are in Wisconsin - too far from either coast. In Minnesota the Somalis who are stealing benefits are the only ones who can afford them.
You can be sure those on EBT cards didn't steal them b/c they don't have to!!
See you and raise you a dozen stone crabs.
So how do you fence stolen lobster tails?
Mary Tyler Moore will take them and put them back in the ocean.
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