Home / Crime and Justice / Cheese, Meat, Cigarettes: $4.5M Heist Uncovered
Cheese, Meat, Cigarettes: $4.5M Heist Uncovered
4 Jun
Summary
- A crew stole $4.5 million in goods using hacking and fake logos.
- Stolen items included 25,000 pounds of cheese and thousands of pounds of meat.
- Eight individuals were indicted in connection with the cargo theft operation.
A large-scale cargo theft operation, responsible for stealing $4.5 million in goods between October 2025 and April 2026, has been brought to light with the indictment of eight individuals. The scheme masterminded by Murodullo Khasanov, 40, involved a crew that collaborated with a hacking syndicate. This syndicate employed phishing tactics to acquire shipment details, enabling the crew to impersonate legitimate shipping companies and brokers.
The thieves executed six heists, targeting high-value items such as 25,000 pounds of cheese, thousands of pounds of lamb and beef, significant quantities of cigarettes, and over $266,000 worth of copper. They operated using forged invoices and fake company logos on their trucks to facilitate the illicit pickups. Some of the indicted individuals, described as immigrants from Uzbekistan, are currently in ICE detention, have been deported, or are awaiting extradition.
