California cargo thieves ram security escorts, steal millions in AI hardware
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California cargo thieves disable two private security escort vehicles and steal two Silicon Valley-to-Southern California AI hardware shipments worth millions of dollars, according to a WIRED investigation. U.S. and Canadian cargo theft losses more than double year over year to $304.6 million in Q2 2026, even as incident volume falls 26%, according to Verisk CargoNet. Neither truck has been recovered, and investigators suspect the truck drivers were complicit through motor carrier numbers that had recently changed hands.
Escort Vehicle Attacks
Thieves rear-ended one private security escort and used a PIT maneuver to spin a second off California roads, according to a WIRED investigation. The two targeted semitrucks were hauling AI data center hardware from Silicon Valley to Southern California; neither vehicle has been recovered. Former Los Angeles sheriff's detective Gerardo Pachuca told WIRED that one driver fled the scene and the other vehicle was disabled. Investigators believe the truck drivers were complicit, citing motor carrier numbers that had recently changed hands.
Cargo Theft Surge
Verisk CargoNet documented 677 supply chain theft incidents in the U.S. and Canada in Q2 2026, down 26% from a year earlier, while estimated losses rose from $135.7 million to $304.6 million. The average theft with a reported value reached $564,009. Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at Verisk CargoNet, said lower incident volume should not be mistaken for lower risk. Enterprise computing and networking equipment ranks among the most targeted categories. Recoveries this summer included $550,000 in Celestica-built server switches destined for Meta and roughly $1 million in data center equipment found near Chicago.
Black Market Premium
Freight investigators told WIRED that location pings from stolen components suggest many shipments end up overseas. Stolen cargo normally fences at a steep discount, but U.S. export controls have pushed black market prices in China above U.S. retail. Nvidia's DGX B300 server sells in China for more than $1.1 million against a U.S. price of roughly $550,000, and five-year-old A100 servers have tripled in price. A hijacked truckload of restricted AI hardware is among the few categories of stolen goods worth more on the black market than off it.
What's Next
Investigators are expected to continue tracing location pings from the stolen components and reviewing motor carrier records tied to the recently transferred numbers. It remains unclear whether the two California attacks are linked to a single organized group or how many restricted AI servers have reached overseas buyers.
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California cargo thieves ram security escorts, steal millions in AI hardware
