GPS jammers increasingly used in cargo thefts

Although jamming devices are generally rarely used in cargo thefts, there have been multiple such incidents in the south eastern US in the last few months, according to Freightwatch International.

Earlier this month, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) recovered jamming equipment similar to that used in previous cargo thefts, including a shipment of pharmaceuticals taken in July 2014 and a truckload of copper the following month.

All told, four jamming devices have been seized by enforcement agencies in the past 14 months, says Freightwatch, which says their use is associated with a known group of Cuban cargo thieves operating along the eastern seaboard. In the cases mentioned above the jamming technology impeded law enforcement but did not however stop the stolen shipments from being recovered.

"While the employment of jamming technology remains rare across the US, this recent recovery of a jamming device from known cargo criminals is worth highlighting," said Freightwatch.

"The effectiveness of jamming technology varies greatly depending on several factors, but jammers have the potential to create challenges with the recovery process when countermeasures are not in place."