ABC7 On Your Side Investigates got exclusive access with LAPD's Cargo Theft Task Force to explain why we're at the center of an epidemic that is fueling inflation.
Monday, May 11, 2026 6:46AMThe Los Angeles Police Department says a spike in cargo theft across the region is helping fuel inflation, with stolen goods from multimillion-dollar heists ending up for sale on online marketplaces and livestream shopping apps.
An ABC7 On Your Side Investigates crew was granted exclusive access as LAPD's Cargo Theft Task Force and partner agencies raided a used car lot in Bell. Undercover officers swarmed the property, breaking locks and doors to reveal what they described as stacks of stolen merchandise. Video shows a little bit of everything inside the room -- from acoustic drum parts, to power tools and boxes of jeans.
"We've seen DeWalt. We've seen Nike. We have seen our stolen product that, what brought us here in the first place," an undercover LAPD detective said. According to the undercover detective, a European manufacturer of high-end adult toys contacted LAPD after discovering products from a stolen shipment being resold online.
The company purchased some of its own products on the site, and LAPD traced the shipping address back to the Bell car lot. During the raid, officers seized not just boxes of adult toys, but a whole host of other items like shoes, Yeti mugs and Acer computers.
"Unfortunately, we're in the capital of cargo theft -- both train and commercial cargo theft -- out here in Los Angeles," the undercover detective said. , where deputies recovered what they described as a mountain of pallets adding up to $4 million in stolen cargo. The L.A. Sheriff's Department announced a major cargo theft bust after a search warrant led to the recovery of about $4 million in stolen merchandise.
Investigative Reporter Kevin Ozebek asked LAPD whether livestream shopping apps and independent online sellers are contributing to the problem.
"I think so. Yeah, it's just easier. It makes it easier for the people like this to sell their items," the undercover detective responded.
"It is a legitimate organized crime network that is involved in these types of crimes," Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said. Hamilton said foreign crime leaders are directing the theft of cargo moving through Los Angeles. After shipments arrive at the port, he said, they are often stolen from train cars. Standing in a tow yard filled with recovered merchandise -- toys, tools and large appliances -- Hamilton said the scale is staggering.
He said LAPD seized $52 million in stolen merchandise last year alone. In just the first three months of this year, the department has already recovered $22 million worth of merchandise headed for the black market.
"You and I and the people that, you know, the regular Joe or Jane on the street are paying the cost for this theft. And when it goes up to hundreds of millions of dollars, billions of dollars nationwide, that is going to be passed onto the consumer, and we're not going to allow that to happen here in the city of Los Angeles," Hamilton said.
After clearing out the Bell car lot, officers arrested Peter Ahoubim of Beverly Hills on suspicion of receiving stolen property. Police said they are only a quarter of the way through counting the items seized from the lot and storage containers connected to the case, but the tally has already reached $500,000 in stolen goods. LAPD urges consumers to be cautious when shopping online.
Investigators say buyers should know who they are purchasing from, and warn that "no return" policies and unusually low prices may be signs that the items were stolen.
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