Organized crime is escalating cargo theft globally, impacting road, rail, sea, and digital channels, with significant losses reported across countries.
Organised crime networks are driving a deepening global cargo theft crisis across road, rail, sea, and digital channels, reported London's Air Cargo Week.
TT Club and BSI Consulting's 2025 Cargo Theft Report ranked Brazil, Mexico, India, the United States, Indonesia, Chile, China, Germany, and South Africa as the top countries for incidents. Ecuador saw theft cases nearly double amid gang violence. Food and beverage products led the list of stolen commodities, followed by agriculture, electronics, and automotive parts.
Trucks accounted for about 70 percent of incidents worldwide, with insider cooperation involved in 22 percent of cases. In the US, rail theft rose from 4 percent in 2024 to 10 percent in 2025, with cartel-linked groups attacking freight trains in Arizona and California. California, Texas, and Illinois recorded the highest incident volumes.
In Europe, Germany, Italy, the UK, France, and Spain reported the most thefts. Facility thefts rose, with warehouses accounting for 33 percent of incidents. UK cargo theft losses reached US$149 million in 2024, while a US$9 million smartphone heist at Heathrow in 2025 ranked among the highest-value cases.
In Asia, India, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam were the most affected. Half of the incidents occurred at warehouses and production sites, with rare earth minerals emerging as a target in China. Sea piracy surged 85 percent in the first half of 2025, the highest in nearly a decade, with the Strait of Malacca and Singapore seeing a 281 percent year-on-year increase.
