Pallet and container theft is continuing to receive attention from law enforcement officials as well as gaining a higher profile in the mainstream media across the United States.
In Florida, a man was recently arrested for allegedly stealing pallets from a Home Depot parking lot. Though he claimed that he thought the pallets were trash and could be taken, he was charged with grand theft. He eventually accepted a plea bargain of disorderly conduct.
In Michigan, police are looking for a man believed to have stolen postal pallets from a printing company on one occasion and attempting it a second time. A newspaper reported that an employee had spotted an unauthorized man outside the company, loading postal pallets containing fliers and newsletters and awaiting pickup into a truck.
Possibly the largest crackdown on container theft has occurred in California where the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department formed an Industrial Plastic Theft Task Force that has been conducting investigations resulting in multiple arrests and seizure of trademarked plastic products, such as crates, totes and pallets.
The task force reported that it recently seized large amounts of allegedly stolen trademarked plastic containers from two different locations in the Los Angeles area. According to the sheriff’s department, the task force found approximately $50,000 worth of stolen trademarked plastic products at a warehouse where three men were arrested for possession of known stolen property. Their ongoing investigation then led to a second warehouse which they believe was being used as an illegal plastic grinding operation. At that location, approximately $24,000 of trademarked plastic products were located, some intact and some already ground. In addition, $67,000 worth of equipment used for the operation was seized by the task force as evidence.
Since the task force was formed last year it has been making an ongoing effort to recover illegally obtained trademarked plastic products in the Los Angeles area. Products seized by the task force in the past have included U.S. Postal Service and iGPS pallets. As of March, the task force had recovered approximately $4 million worth of stolen trademarked plastic products, shut down eight large-scale illegal plastic grinding operations and made multiple arrests, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Though the type of situation differs between each case, the attention being given to pallet theft should serve as a reminder to recyclers and pickers to ensure that they are cautious about picking up any trademarked or branded pallets. It is always a good idea to make sure that permission has been given to retrieve any pallets that are picked up to avoid any theft charges or other undesired legal hassle.
