California Cargo Thieves Steal $304.6 Million-Era AI Hardware Using PIT Maneuvers
Updated
Updated · Tom's Hardware · Aug 14
California Cargo Thieves Steal $304.6 Million-Era AI Hardware Using PIT Maneuvers
3 articles · Updated · Tom's Hardware · Aug 14
Summary
Two California truckloads of AI data-center hardware vanished after thieves disabled private escort vehicles—one by rear-ending it, another with a police-style PIT maneuver—then let the semitrucks continue south and disappear.
Investigators suspect the drivers were complicit because both thefts used motor-carrier numbers that had recently changed hands, a fraud tactic that helps criminals book loads under a legitimate federal registration.
Verisk CargoNet counted 677 supply-chain thefts in the U.S. and Canada in Q2 2026, down 26% year over year, but estimated losses more than doubled to $304.6 million and average reported losses reached $564,009.
AI hardware is especially attractive because export controls have inflated black-market prices in China: Nvidia's DGX B300 sells there for more than $1.1 million versus about $550,000 in the U.S., and investigators say stolen loads often end up overseas.