Train robberies might be relics of the past, but cargo theft remains a significant issue, impacting consumers through increased prices. The Department of Homeland Security estimates the cost of cargo theft to the U.S. economy to be between $15 billion and $35 billion annually. In 2025, the FBI reported a 60 percent rise in cargo theft losses in the U.S. and Canada, reaching nearly $725 million compared to the previous year.
To combat this, law enforcement is ramping up efforts to dismantle these criminal networks. When manufacturers face the loss of large goods shipments to theft, they often pass the cost to consumers, resulting in higher product prices.
In a groundbreaking national operation revealed exclusively to CBS News, federal agents, railroad police, and law enforcement across more than two dozen states joined forces, targeting cargo theft by using infrared drone technology. These drones scan rail tracks and yards, detecting heat signatures and tracking thieves. Operators see silhouettes on the tracks and communicate these positions to ground officers.
“It’s like a third eye in the sky,” stated Commander Michael Ware of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Organized Retail Crime and Cargo Theft Task Force. He shared this insight with CBS News national consumer correspondent Ash-har Quraishi during an operation in Chicago.
Illinois ranks third in the nation for cargo theft, following California and Texas, according to Verisk Cargonet. Alerts on suspicious activities from law enforcement partners, like the California Highway Patrol, help officers prepare and act decisively.
Video footage was shown to CBS News where two individuals broke into a cargo container filled with $35,000 worth of electronics. Once identified by drones, law enforcement units close in silently, sealing off exits and relying on the thieves’ heat signatures to find them. Despite attempts by thieves to deny involvement, drone footage often serves as indisputable evidence.
“A lot of times we apprehend the guys and they claim we have no proof. Then they see the drone footage and acknowledge ‘you got me’,” Ware explained.
Cargo thieves target a wide variety of goods, including electronics, designer items, and even cereal. They exploit slow-moving trains, breaking seals on containers and moving stolen goods quickly.
Ware described the theft as lucrative, comparable to the narcotics trade. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart emphasized the seriousness of the crime, likening it to organized looting.
“People were being looted and the numbers were staggering,” Dart said. “It was highly organized.”
As the holiday season approaches, Ware warns that stolen goods will contribute to price increases. This report also included contributions from Callie Teitelbaum and Josh Peña.