‘The Worst I’ve Ever Seen’: Cargo Thefts Have Turned Violent in Pursuit of AI Hardware

The incidents involved two different shipments of high-value technology traveling from Silicon Valley to Southern California, according to Pachuca, who says he learned about the thefts from law enforcement authorities. Each truck was tailed by private security professionals driving unmarked escort vehicles, which were supposed to ensure the goods made it to their destinations safely. But hours into one journey, another driver rear-ended the escort in a hit-and-run, forcing it to stop. In the other case, the escort stopped after another car nudged it into a tailspin, a ploy commonly known as a PIT maneuver, and then fled.

Everyone familiar with the “accidents” believes the escorts were deliberately immobilized, according to Pachuca. Once the semitrucks lost their escorts, the drivers proceeded without halting—but not to their planned destinations. They were never heard from again, Pachua says, and millions of dollars in data center gear remains unaccounted for.