Mobsters Stole $83M in Amazon Cargo: DOJ

Amazon might want to be a bit more careful about screening its drivers. US authorities have arrested 13 individuals believed to be members or affiliates of Armenian organized-crime syndicates, accused of attempted murder, kidnapping, fraud, and stealing more than $83 million in goods from the retail giant. The individuals were arrested Tuesday in Florida and California, where Armenian Organized Crime, a criminal organization linked to the Russian mafia, has reportedly set up a US base, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Some have been linked to a scheme in which associates enrolled as truck drivers for Amazon, only to steal all or part of the shipments they picked up.

Two of the accused, Ara Artuni and Robert Amiryan, are archrival mob members who reportedly fought for control of their territory in the San Fernando Valley, per Quartz. Authorities say Artuni ordered a failed hit on Amiryan in 2023, so Amiryan "allegedly conspired with members of his own criminal organization to kidnap and torture one of Artuni's associates," per a release. Artuni's enterprise is accused of stealing more than $83 million in goods from Amazon, along with additional crimes, including bank and wire fraud. Authorities say the enterprise racked up charges on credit cards tied to a sham business, whose funds were drained before the credit card companies could collect on the charges.

On the accused's cellphones, authorities say they found photos and videos showing warehouses filled with boxes of stolen merch, including coffee machines, crockpots, grills, and shampoo, per CNBC. In a statement, Amazon says it has "zero tolerance" for organized retail crime, including cargo theft. "These referrals have resulted in arrests, product seizures and recoveries, and the dismantling of ORC networks in the US and around the world," the company says. Amazon isn't the only firm suffering from cargo theft: Experts tell CNBC that losses tied to this crime are at $1 billion or more annually. (More Amazon.com stories.)