€988,143 of Goods Stolen from Supply Chains in EMEA Every 24 Hours in HY2023

Product thefts reported to the TAPA EMEA Intelligence System (TIS) from supply chains in the Europe, Middle East & Africa region averaged nearly €1,000,000 every 24 hours in the first six months of 2023.

The daily loss total of €988,143 contributed to a total value of €178.8 million of cargo thefts across 61 countries, led by:

South Africa – 5,416 incidents in 181 days
United Kingdom – 3,003
Germany – 1,284

Four other countries in EMEA recorded triple-figure incident rates:

France – 590 cargo theft incidents in 6 months
Italy – 453 in half-year 2023
Sweden – 386 losses from supply chains
Spain – 357 freight thefts

Overall, TIS recorded 184 major cargo crimes in the period from 1 January-30 June 2023, producing an average loss for these crimes of €843,878. Financial loss data for the six months is based on only the 1,827 or 14.9% of the total 12,208 incidents in EMEA reporting a value.

Major losses TAPA EMEA is authorised to share in Vigilant for this period include:

€53,000,000 – On 29 March 2023, thieves broke into and violently robbed a cash facility in Berkshire, UK, entering the premises concealed under a truck
€17,451,000 – In Tigray, Ethiopia, on 25 April, regional authorities reported the theft of more than 7,000 metric tons of donated wheat from an Origin Facility
€2,800,000 – a theft of unspecified cargo from a vehicle on 22 February in Novaya Chara, Russia
€2,090,000 – On 16 May, a logistics vehicle traveling from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town, South Africa, was hijacked approximately 40km outside its origin point. Attackers fired gunshots at the security escort vehicle, injuring the driver, and used a GPS jammer to delay tracking of the stolen shipment of auto parts, which was driven to a remote location to be offloaded
€2,000,000 – A trailer and unknown cargo was stolen in Zaragoza, Spain, on 6 March
€2,000,000 – On 13 January, an armed robbery of a cash-in-transit truck in Saarloui, Germany
€1,897,707 – In Morocco on 25 March, police recovered 24 luxury vehicles, including Rolls Royce’s stolen from the Halton Region. These vehicles were reportedly being shipped to Dubai
€1,700,000 – In Brunsbattel, Germany, offenders stole two tons of dry granules from a chemical company facility on 20 May. The granules contained the valuable precious metal palladium, one kilogram of which costs more than €40,000
€1,600,000 – Theves violently targeted a truck travelling en route to La Courneuve, France, on 30 June and stole a high value shipment of unspecified products
€ 1,600,000 – In Salzburg, Germany, thieves escaped with another high value shipment stolen from a container
€1,500,000 – On 30 June, an entire shipment of luxury leather goods was taken from a truck located in Tremblay-en-France
€1,500,000 – Offenders broke into a warehouse in Milan, Italy, on 5 May and stole electronic goods, including phones and computer tablets
€1,500,000 – On 19 April, a consignment of electronic goods was stolen from a semi-trailer parked in an unclassified parking location in Salzberg, Germany
€1,500,000 – 55,000 items of cosmetics including foundation, mascara, and cosmetics bags, were stolen from a facility in Cremona, Italy, on 29 January. Five suspects were later arrested in connection with the theft
€1,300,000 – Thieves targeting a truck at a secured parking location in Salzburg, Germany, robbed the vehicle of its load of computers and laptops by burning through the trailer’s security locks while the driver was asleep in his cab on 11 April
€1,292,790 – In Madrid, Spain, on 2 January, thieves were arrested after stealing a truck and its shipment of unspecified goods
€1,000,000 – On 12 May in Rome, Italy, cargo criminals broke into a facility and loaded an assortment of miscellaneous goods into their own vans before making their escape.

More information on these and the other cargo thefts from supply chains in the EMEA region in the first six months of 2023 can be found in the TIS incident database. You can report crimes to TAPA EMEA at tisteam@tapaemea.org