US man convicted of stolen goods trafficking

A US man has pleaded guilty to trafficking stolen products in a string of cargo theft incidents in the southeastern region of the USA.

John Raymond Smith bought $3m-worth of medicines between May 2005 and July 2009 from thieves who carried out raids on nearly two dozen cargo shipments traveling through Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Smith then sold them on through a retail outlet set up by Robin Cheatwood called A-Z Discount in Cedartown, Georgia.

The thieves targeted tractor trailers and containers parked at truck stops, motels, and container storage facilities, often at night, according to the Pharmaceutical Cargo Security Consortium. Many of the stolen shipments were bound for major retailers such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart. 

Smith faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and is due for sentencing in August.