Nebraska deputies seize $250,000 in stolen copper wire from a semi on I-80

A 22-year-old truck driver was arrested Oct. 7 after deputies found roughly 44,000 pounds of reportedly stolen copper wire in his trailer during a stop on I-80 near Lincoln, Nebraska, according to CDLLife on Oct. 9.

Around 2 p.m., the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office Criminal Interdiction Unit stopped the semi near mile marker 408 for driving on the shoulder. The driver could not provide registration or a bill of lading and told deputies he did not know what he was hauling, where he had picked it up, or where it was headed.

After the driver consented to a search, deputies found 11 pallets of copper wire weighing about 44,000 pounds, along with two bolt cutters. The trailer doors had no seal or lock and the pallets were not secured. The bill of lading, recovered during the search, showed a Chicago pickup and a consignee of Lakeside Auto Recycling in Carter Lake, Iowa. Investigators determined the load was stolen and not in the possession of the correct carrier, according to the sheriff's office.

The wire was valued at $250,000. The driver, Raman Pal, 22, believed to be from California, was arrested on charges of theft by receiving over $5,000 and possession of burglary tools. The sheriff's office said the victim company has had four loads stolen — more than $1 million — this year, and the investigation is ongoing.