Cargo theft, for many years, was a problem that largely plagued the electronics industry, but criminals have recently shifted more attention to the far more lucrative pharmaceutical trade. In March 2010, thieves masterminded a heist of $75 million worth of cancer, psychiatric and blood-thinning drugs from a Connecticut warehouse by cutting a hole in the ceiling and dismantling alarms during a severe storm that masked their activities from the local authorities. To curb future cargo theft, it is imperative that pharmaceutical companies develop solid, globally applicable conveyance security programs.

Read about theft-preventing strategies in the August issue of PharmTech