Overview

• Two semi-trucks hauling roughly 24,000 bottles from Laredo, Texas, to Lansdale, Pennsylvania, disappeared in November 2024.
• Thieves set up fabricated carriers and used spoofed GPS with fake emails citing mechanical problems to redirect the loads, deceiving the company and unwitting drivers.
• About 11,000 bottles were recovered weeks later by the LAPD Cargo Theft Unit at a Southeast Los Angeles warehouse, while the second truckload remains missing.
• Investigators say the operation showed characteristics tied to a criminal group operating out of Armenia.
• Fieri says the loss derailed holiday plans and forced layoffs at Santo Spirits, as experts report similar cargo thefts have surged, with CBS citing a 1,200% four-year increase.