October 29, 1999
Web posted at: 10:59 a.m. EDT (1459 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The FBI's ongoing investigation of vehicle and cargo theft has netted eight more arrests, bringing to more than 400 the number of people indicted or arrested since the probe began seven months ago.

"It seems anything that's not nailed down is getting stolen," an FBI agent involved in the operation told CNN. "They're taking laptops from pallets at airports, and from semis at truck stops. They're stealing sweat shirts, pharmaceuticals, you name it."

FBI Director Louis Freeh announced Thursday that the investigation, dubbed "Operation Sudden Stop," has resulted in charges against 125 persons since early September.

In the latest arrests, eight people were picked up Thursday morning in Miami for thefts from truck shipments.

Thursday's arrests followed a bust Tuesday of criminal groups accused of interstate cargo theft in Georgia, New York and Maryland. Officials said 64 people were arrested in a fencing operation that repackaged and sold items that had been stolen by more than 40 shoplifters and robbers.

Last month, 53 people were indicted after a Philadelphia investigation into vehicle theft and money laundering.

FBI sources said the cargo thieves appear to do most of their work on weekends and off-hours at trucking companies, warehouses, and a variety of other locations. As much as 20 percent of the cargo is taken by force, often at gunpoint, the official said.

The stolen vehicles are often taken to port cities and shipped overseas. The cargo is moved to black marketeers, unscrupulous wholesalers and flea market operators in the United States, Mexico and Central America.

The FBI estimates the value of stolen vehicles in the United States rose to $7.5 billion last year. Stolen cargo cost U.S. citizens about $6 billion last year.

Recently released crime figures show the vehicle theft rate decreased last year by 9.3 percent, but the value of stolen vehicles rose because more expensive cars and trucks were targeted.

The rate at which stolen vehicles were recovered also dropped. Last year, 65 percent of stolen vehicles were recovered, down from 68 percent in 1997.

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