A for-hire reefer driver was reportedly arrested in South Carolina after 41,000 pounds of chicken did not arrive at its Georgia destinations. According to reports, 55-year-old Christopher Thomas agreed to pick up a load of Pilgrim’s Pride chicken at a plant in Sumter, S.C., and make deliveries to a pair of Milton, GA, locations. When the poultry didn’t arrive as scheduled, police were called to locate the reefer, driver, and retrieve the products. Those efforts didn’t pan out because many of the 215 cases of chicken had already been sold off, according to reports.
“Thomas was to deliver approximately 41,000 pounds of chicken valued at approximately $80,000. He was arrested with approximately seven pallets loaded with 215 cases of chicken weighing 8,000 pounds remaining. It is believed that Thomas sold about 33,000 pounds of chicken,” according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement accounts indicate that Thomas sold most of the seven pallets of poultry and pocketed the profits before being arrested. He was nabbed during a traffic stop two days after Thanksgiving when police were alerted to where he was traveling to sell the remainder of the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken.
“Following the tip, law enforcement was able to travel to where Thomas had agreed to meet a buyer. Upon Thomas’ arrival at the predetermined location, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office investigator and the deputies from Lee County activated their blue lights and performed a traffic stop,” according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
It may seem improbable, but workers reportedly went on the record indicating this wasn’t the first great chicken heist perpetrated on Pilgrim’s Pride.
“I’m not entirely sure how this is happening, to be honest. That’s a lot of chicken to be stolen out of there twice, so I really have no idea how they’re even doing it and what they’re doing to stop it,” a Pilgrim’s Pride employee reportedly said. “I guess the checkpoint to make sure on who’s coming in and out, what’s on the trucks and all of that.”
Based on CargoNet data, there were 582 cargo theft reports in the U.S. and Canada during the second quarter of 2023. That constitutes a 57 percent increase over the same period in 2022. Reports indicate Thomas was charged, processed, and transported to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center. A $50,000 Surety Bond was initially set.
Sources:
https://www.nicb.org/news/regional-news/44-million-worth-cargo-theft-occurred-second-quarter-2023
https://www.wilx.com/2023/11/28/man-charged-80000-chicken-heist/
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