Detectives bust cargo trailer theft ring

A year-long investigation into the deceptive theft of cargo trailers came to a close by Coffee County Sheriff’s Office detectives last week.

The investigation centered on a group of individuals who had been using stolen credit cards to purchase cargo trailers from Coffee County trailer dealers. Once the purchase was made, the criminals would have a transport driver pick up the trailer and, a few days later, the credit card owner would be advised of the purchase and dispute the charge. This delay would give the criminals ample time to do as they wanted with the trailers.

With the assistance of several local dealerships, detectives were able to catch up with two of the suspects and follow a trailer back to one of the locations used to hide the trailers. That path led to Statesboro.

With the assistance of the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigations team, officers executed a sting operation and recovered several cargo trailers and apprehended multiple suspects. 

This is an ongoing investigation that involves several jurisdictions. The people involved in this scam are believed to be part of an organized crime group located throughout the state. Anyone with information concerning this scam is encouraged to contact the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division.