Trucking news and briefs for Monday, July 6, 2026:
Eight charged from alleged cargo theft ring
Eight individuals accused of being part of an “international, organized scheme to steal cargo from commercial shippers” were charged June 30 in an indictment unsealed by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James C. Barnacle Jr.
The accused individuals, each charged with one count of conspiracy to transport and possess stolen merchandise, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, are:
- Vagan Gulian, 37, of Glendale, California
- Zhirayr Gumruyan, 36, of Northridge, California
- Sevak Kocharian, 37, of Brooklyn, New York
- Araik Setrakian, 36, of Los Angeles
- Vitaly Koshelan, 56, of Dania Beach, Florida
- Arkadiy Pastin, of Brooklyn, New York
- Jashanpreet Singh, 29, of Oaklyn, New Jersey
- Edgar Bezhanian, 46, of Yerevan, Armenia
Kocharian is separately charged with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Seven of the eight individuals are in custody, while Bezhanian remains at large.
“As alleged, the defendants were members of a sophisticated, international enterprise whose members stole millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise and sold those stolen goods on the black market,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Organized cargo theft is an attack on the integrity of our nation’s commercial supply chain and our markets more generally. Those who conspire to disrupt commerce and harm consumers will be met with a coordinated law enforcement response.”
The indictment alleges that, between in or around March 2023 and the present, the defendants, together with others known and unknown, carried out a large-scale, organized scheme to steal cargo from commercial shippers. In total, the cargo theft enterprise allegedly stole goods worth at least approximately $10 million. The group allegedly operated throughout the United States and targeted high-value merchandise including electronics, liquor, meat, fish, eggs, clothing, skincare products, and cryptocurrency mining machines, among numerous other items.
The defendants and other members of the enterprise allegedly perpetrated their scheme by diverting, possessing, transporting, and selling numerous loads of stolen merchandise. They relied on the coordinated efforts of at least one “dispatcher” located abroad and facilitators, drivers, and workers located in the United States.
In a typical theft, at least one member of the group allegedly fraudulently impersonated a legitimate motor carrier or other shipping supply chain personnel and companies, to obtain a contract to haul a load from a shipper to a customer. Other members of the enterprise then picked up the load or otherwise diverted the truck containing the load away from its intended destination, including by altering the delivery address and other information on shipping paperwork, and by removing geolocation tracking devices affixed to shipped cargo to track its location and ensure it reaches its proper destination.
Once the truck reached the enterprise’s intended destination, members of the scheme offloaded and sold the stolen merchandise – including to co-conspirators known as “fences,” who knowingly purchased and resold stolen merchandise on the secondary market – for an illicit profit.
New Mexico increases weight-distance tax
Weight‑distance taxes for heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicle registration fees in New Mexico slightly increased July 1, marking the first adjustment to either rate in more than two decades as the works to generate revenue for critical road improvements.
An estimated $70 million will go to the State Road Fund as a result of the increases, allowing the state to invest in road maintenance. More than half of New Mexico’s roads require maintenance, New Mexico DOT said, costing drivers more than $1,000 a year in repairs and wasted fuel.
Truckers are well aware of highway maintenance issues in New Mexico, as the state ranked fifth for having the worst roads in the country in Overdrive Highway Report Card surveying of readers in 2025. I-40 in the state ranked as the No. 2 overall worst haul route in the nation, only behind I-70 in Indiana.
On July 1, the state’s weight-distance tax will increase by 35%, while passenger vehicle registration fees increase by 25%.
New Mexico imposes a weight-distance tax on owners, operators, and registrants of intra and interstate commercial vehicles with a declared gross vehicle weight in excess of 26,000 pounds. The tax is based on vehicle weight and miles traveled on New Mexico roads. Companies must register and apply each year for a New Mexico Weight Distance Tax Electronic Permit for each vehicle.
The revenue going to the Road Fund will support the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s maintenance of the state’s transportation system. Unlike most state agencies, NMDOT doesn’t have recurring general fund appropriations and relies on the State Road Fund to invest in infrastructure.
“New Mexicans aren’t shy when it comes to talking about roads and we get it,” said Acting NMDOT Cabinet Secretary David D. Quintana. “After decades of underfunding, we’re finally making the kind of sustained investment our communities deserve. This revenue will help us take care of the roads people rely on every day. We won’t catch up immediately, but we will start to make steady progress.”
Coastal Carriers names new CFO
Coastal Carriers has announced the appointment of Tracy Farris as its new chief financial officer, a move intended to bolster the company's long-term strategic growth and financial governance.
Tracy Farris
In her capacity as financial chief, Farris will oversee corporate financial management, capital planning, tax strategy, treasury management and corporate governance systems.
"Throughout her career, Tracy has successfully led financial operations for asset-based businesses," the company said in a statement. "Her experience in developing and executing capital strategies will support our expansion, infrastructure investments and operational scalability."
The company highlighted Farris’ specialization in tax planning and organizational structuring as assets that will help optimize the carrier's broad financial portfolio. Company executives noted her appointment will reinforce risk management and regulatory compliance standards across all operational entities.
