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The truck looked legit. The paperwork seemed routine. Then, during the day on a weekday, about 1,800 cases of bourbon were loaded onto the truck as if it were just another shipment.
By the time someone realized something was wrong, thousands of bottles were already missing.
A shipment of Noble Oak Bourbon (approximately 10,800 bottles worth more than $500,000) was stolen from a Philadelphia-area warehouse in what company officials described as a “coordinated cargo theft operation carried out in broad daylight.” According to company officials, the package was destined for New Jersey, but never arrived.
Mark Newman, CEO of Apogee21 Holdings, the parent company of A21 Wine and Spirits, said the shipment had just been bottled and was sent to a distribution facility in Philadelphia, where a truck arrived to pick it up. The company said in a news release that the theft occurred on June 5 between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. ET.
“We had just finished bottling a case of bourbon…and were filling orders,” Newman said in a June 8 phone interview with USA TODAY.
Concerns were heightened when the package never arrived at its destination and calls to the supposed driver and dispatch office went unanswered. The company believed the shipment was stolen and reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local authorities.
The company said in a news release that it is treating the incident as a “serious criminal matter” and is cooperating with law enforcement.
A spokesperson for the FBI’s Philadelphia field office told USA TODAY that they were “aware of the incident” but “could not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.” USA TODAY also reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department for comment.
The company announced that investigators believe the theft may be related to a “complicated ring”
Newman said investigators believe the theft may be connected to a “complex organization” targeting high-value consumer products. He said the perpetrators impersonated existing trucking companies and used details such as company names and phone numbers to gain trust and secure shipments.
“They’re basically trying to look like a legitimate trucking company and look and sound… like a legitimate trucking company,” Newman said. “They pretend to be the company name and pretend to be the truck dispatcher.”
The company said in a news release that the theft appears to have been carried out with knowledge of “logistics operations and product movement schedules,” suggesting planning and coordination.
Newman said concerns grew after the logistics company was first told the package would arrive at the warehouse within an hour, but subsequent follow-up phone calls went unanswered. A person the company believed to be the dispatcher also initially said the cargo was in transit, but then stopped responding, leading the company to suspect something was wrong.
“We had the name and phone number of what we thought was the shipping office, so we called there and a guy said, ‘Oh, the package is on its way,'” he said. “Our staff then called back for follow-up. There was no response.”
“Quite sophisticated people.”
The company said the incident highlights growing concerns about organized cargo theft, especially of high-value items. A21 Wine & Spirits said in a news release that stolen bourbon may surface through “illicit channels, secondary wholesalers, online marketplaces, or other illicit distribution networks.”
“I think we’re dealing with some pretty sophisticated people,” Newman said.
He added that similar incidents have affected other alcohol brands and companies in recent years, and some stolen shipments were never recovered.
To prevent future incidents, Newman said the company plans to tighten its shipping protocols, including primarily working with known shippers and avoiding loading trucks and placing bids in locations where fraudsters could collect information about shipments. The company is also considering adding tracking devices to packages.
“Use a reliable trucking company. Don’t go for the lowest price,” Newman advised industry players. “Because, as people say, sometimes it’s too good to be true. Maybe the price is too good to be true.”
The latest cargo theft incident in the US
An international report released earlier this year found an “alarming increase” in cargo theft and cargo fraud around the world. Some 160,000 cargo-related crimes were recorded in 129 countries between 2022 and 2024, according to a report by the International Marine Insurance Federation and the Transport Asset Protection Association.
The American Trucking Associations reported in June 2025 that freight theft “costs the U.S. economy up to $35 billion annually,” with the average value of each theft exceeding $200,000.
According to the American Trucking Associations, “Cargo theft is no longer just a minor nuisance.” “This has become a criminal enterprise, resulting in billions of dollars in losses. Almost every industry has been affected, from electronics to clothing to food.”
Many of the robberies reported recently involve food and beverages. In March, Swiss food manufacturer Nestlé told USA TODAY that thieves stole an entire truck containing more than 12 tons of Kit Kat chocolate bars in Europe.
In December 2025, robbers in Massachusetts stole a truck containing $400,000 worth of lobster meat bound for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota. Then, in November 2024, two trucks carrying approximately $1 million worth of Santo Tequila never arrived at their destination.
Cargo thieves also have other preferences. USA TODAY reported in February 2025 that about $2 million worth of Nike shoes were stolen in at least 10 train robberies in California and Arizona within the past year. Additionally, in June 2025, a cargo truck carrying approximately $1.4 million worth of Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles was reported to have been stolen in Colorado.
Contributor: Mike Snider, USA TODAY
