Opportunistic thieves made off with about 100,000 eggs over the weekend, trying to crack a profit off the soaring price of eggs.
The eggs, worth $40,000, were stolen from the back of a distribution trailer at an egg supply depot in Greencastle, Pennsylvania. The sheer size of the burglary raises questions about how the thieves will be able to unload that many eggs.
If a cargo theft ring orchestrated the heist, it’s likely they already had a buyer lined up, said Scott Cornell, transportation practice lead and crime and theft specialist at Travelers Insurance. He said cargo theft is a high-risk endeavor that requires thieves to have a network of distributors readily available to move stolen goods quickly.
“They usually have a place they know they can sell or move the freight right away. Sometimes, they will immediately repackage it. So now, how do you identify your eggs?” Mr. Cornell said.
Perishable products such as snacks, energy drinks and alcohol are usually high-value targets for cargo thieves. The evidence is difficult to trace because the products are perishable, even if the thieves can’t sell their stolen goods.
“As a cargo thief, if I steal a load of eggs or a load of frozen meat or seafood, how long can I be pursued for that commodity?” Mr. Cornell said. “If I steal a load of televisions, you can chase me until I get rid of all the televisions and you can even find them after I get rid of them and backtrack them. But food and beverages are consumed or spoiled.”
Cargo thieves closely watch consumer markets for any easy pivot they can sell.
“Cargo thieves are really good at two things in particular: knowing what to steal and when to steal it, and return on investment,” Mr. Cornell said. “They can pivot within a commodity very easily. So if the price of eggs goes up, and there might be a shortage of eggs, they will target them.”
The thieves could have been lower-level opportunists looking to make a quick buck.
“Scammers could take the eggs to New York City to unload them with small distributors and corner stores, selling them for half the price they normally sell,” said Brian Moscogiuri, vice president of Eggs Unlimited.
The avian flu has caused the price of eggs to jump over the past year. The average price per dozen eggs sat at around $4.10 at the end of 2024, nearly double the cost from late 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Experts don’t expect the situation to ease anytime soon. The Department of Agriculture reports that the average price of eggs will rise by about 20% by the end of the year.
“Scamming and theft is generally rampant, but as eggs become the center of media attention because of avian flu and supply chain issues, I expect this kind of activity could become more prevalent,” Mr. Moscogiuri said.
Still, organized crime experts don’t expect eggs to be the next big thing in cargo theft. Keith Lewis, vice president of crime analytics and operations at CargoNet, says the weekend heist won’t begin a larger trend because eggs don’t make good targets for thieves.
“I see this as a snapshot in time. With bird flu, this is not hundreds of trucks of eggs,” he said. “Unlike necessary items, eggs are a commodity that people can live without. What drives the value of stolen goods is its shelf life, and these eggs will probably end up in a dumpster somewhere.”
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.