U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) is pushing for new federal legislation to combat a nationwide surge in cargo theft, a crime that has had a significant impact on Indiana.

The senator, who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety, recently appeared in an Investigate TV report examining the rise in cargo theft.

According to data analyzed by InvestigateTV, the FBI tracked over 5,700 cargo thefts in 2024, with a total value of more than $155 million in stolen property. The FBI defines cargo theft as the “criminal taking” of any kind of cargo while it is moving between its point of origin and its final destination.

To address the issue, Senator Young co-introduced the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, legislation that aims to establish a coordinated multi-agency response and provide new tools to address organized retail and cargo theft.

“Right now, the criminal elements are very much aware of our weaknesses, and they’re manipulating them to steal consumer products and fuel their operations and so the federal government needs to respond,” said Senator Young.

The Investigate TV report highlighted several federal cases, including a massive cargo theft ring that involved suspects who followed trucks in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. A federal trial earlier this year also found a man guilty of cargo theft for the third time, including a prior conviction for stealing $500,000 worth of liquor from a distribution facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

The legislation has garnered support from several organizations and five U.S. unions, which have called on Congress to pass the bill.