During his 25 years investigating cargo theft, consultant and former Los Angeles sheriff’s detective **Gerardo Pachuca** has never witnessed such brazen tactics. He reports two recent incidents where robbers employed confrontational methods to steal expensive hardware destined for **AI data centers**, leaving the freight industry on edge. The incidents involved two separate shipments of high-value technology traveling from Silicon Valley to Southern California. Each truck was accompanied by private security professionals in unmarked escort vehicles. However, in one instance, an escort vehicle was rear-ended in a hit-and-run, forcing it to stop. In the other, the escort was deliberately nudged into a tailspin using a **PIT maneuver** before the attacking vehicle fled. Everyone familiar with these “accidents” believes the escorts were intentionally immobilized, according to Pachuca. Once the semitrucks lost their escorts, the drivers continued without stopping, but not to their planned destinations. They were never heard from again, and millions of dollars in data center gear remain unaccounted for. While **WIRED** attempted to independently confirm Pachuca's accounts, limited information was shared to protect ongoing investigations. However, two other cargo industry professionals provided corroborating details. **J.J. Coughlin**, chairman of the **Southwest Transportation Security Council**, confirmed that one of the affected escort companies notified him immediately after its vehicle was attacked while guarding “high-value technology.” **Danny Ramon**, director of intelligence and response at freight-monitoring software developer **Overhaul**, learned about the rear-ending incident from law enforcement sources, describing it as a “coordinated assault” on an “AI hardware” shipment. Pachuca, Coughlin, and Ramon all stated that no one was injured in the attacks. They suspect the truck drivers were complicit in the scheme, an increasingly common issue. The perpetrators have yet to be apprehended, and there's growing concern that these isolated cases could evolve into a widespread, violent form of freight crime, potentially enabled by cyber-based scams and hacks, targeting the very equipment powering the cutting edge of the internet. “It’s the worst I’ve seen,” Pachuca remarked about nationwide cargo theft. “The methods they are using, the value they are getting, the frequency these crimes are occurring.” Escort companies are becoming an increasingly vital last line of defense. **Michael Duffy**, CEO of **Solutions Group International**, notes that his escort business, once primarily busy during holiday shopping seasons, now operates year-round, with companies transporting liquid cooling parts, servers, and computer chips as his largest clients. “Now that the values have shot through the roof, we’re getting called all the time,” Duffy said, estimating his company has protected 13,000 shipments over the past four years without a single loss. Targeting high-value cargo and their escort vehicles has been a tactic in countries like Mexico for years. These suspected attacks in the US are now prompting escort operators to enhance their security protocols, with some encouraging personnel to call 911 at the first sign of suspicion. “We’ve been trying to come up with a game plan,” stated **Rachel Fruchtenicht** of **Shadow Freight Security**. ## AI Heists Surge Amidst Data Center Boom Cargo theft has seen a significant increase since the start of the Covid pandemic, fueled by a rise in e-commerce. More recently, the booming **AI data center** industry has created a lucrative new target. Total spending on data center construction in the first half of this year alone surpassed the total for all of 2025. While the overall number of thefts reported last quarter fell by 26 percent year-over-year, the value of stolen goods more than doubled. This indicates a clear shift towards criminals targeting more expensive cargo, according to new data released this month by **Verisk CargoNet**, an analytics and risk assessment firm. **Verisk CargoNet** highlights that some of the most commonly stolen items include metals, especially copper, and enterprise-grade computer and networking equipment. These shipments are often transported using standard procedures, creating “a significant mismatch between their financial value and their ordinary transportation and security profile,” as noted in Verisk CargoNet's announcement accompanying the new data.