New legislation targets cargo theft, a fast-growing crime hitting Memphis harder than almost anywhere in the U.S..
In early December, U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the bipartisan Cargo Security Innovation Act. It would create a federal pilot program to deploy advanced surveillance and cargo-tracking technology at major intermodal hubs and require a report back to Congress evaluating its effectiveness.
Memphis, one of the nation’s busiest freight gateways, has become a hotspot for increasingly sophisticated cargo theft rings.
“Cargo theft is a pressing issue impacting businesses in Tennessee, and we need to shut down these organized crime groups that steal essential goods from Tennesseans to traffic drugs and weapons,” Blackburn said in a statement.
Klobuchar said the crimes disrupt the supply chain and are hammering shippers — especially food shippers — and forcing carriers to return or destroy compromised goods.
“Our bipartisan legislation would equip law enforcement with the resources to combat these crimes — creating a pilot program that invests in technology to curb cargo theft,” Klobuchar said in a statement.
Nationwide, cargo theft jumped 57 percent in 2023, with reported losses topping $400 million, according to federal data. In Memphis, the thefts in the first six months of 2024 climbed nearly 60 percent over all of 2023, according to data supplied by the senators.
Organized crime groups treat cargo theft as a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise, they said, which then fund violent drugs and weapons trafficking. They said these groups are targeting shipments of food, electronics, and pharmaceuticals using fake IDs, GPS blockers, encrypted communications, and surveillance teams.
Local law enforcement agencies have coordinated with federal partners to combat the trend but often lack the specialized tools needed to track and intercept thefts in real time.
Ted Townsend, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce called the new legislation, a “step toward addressing the escalating threat of cargo theft.”
“Memphis, one of America’s busiest intermodal freight hubs, is on the front lines of this challenge,” Townsend said in a statement. “Strengthening cargo security is critical to protecting goods in transit, supporting employers, and sustaining the economic competitiveness of Memphis and other freight gateways vital to U.S. commerce.”