‘International network’ accused of impersonating legitimate motor carriers to steal $10 million in high-value cargo
New York State prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging eight people in an international cargo theft conspiracy.
On June 30, 2026, officials announced that the following individuals were charged with one count of conspiracy to transport and possess stolen merchandise:
- Vagan Gulian, 37, California
- Zhirayr Gumruyan, 36, California
- Sevak Kocharian, 37, New York
- Araik Setrakian, 36, California
- Vitaly Koshelan, 56, Florida
- Arkadiy Pastin, age not provided, New York
- Jashanpreet Singh, 29, New Jersey
- Edgar Bezhanian, 46, Armenia
Kocharian is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion.
From March 2023 through the present, the eight individuals are accused of stealing cargo from commercial shippers valued at $10 million.
The cargo theft conspiracy involved at least one “dispatcher” located abroad and facilitators, drivers, and workers located in the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said.
The organized cargo theft group targeted high-value merchandise including electronics, liquor, meat, fish, eggs, clothing, skincare products, and cryptocurrency mining machines.
To facilitate the cargo thefts, one member of the group would pose as a legitimate carrier to obtain a contract to transport goods from the shipper to a customer. After the contract was secured, other group members would pick up the load or divert the truck 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,” officials said.
Once the truck was in the intended location, the group members would offload items to be sold on secondary markets “for an illicit profit.”
“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. Our Office is committed to ridding our supply chains of organized crime, and we will pursue those who exploit global commerce for illicit gain.”
“These eight defendants allegedly were members of an international network to steal merchandise and resell these stolen goods at the direct expense of sellers, shippers, and buyers,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. “The FBI’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force works to dismantle illegal operations designed to generate illicit profits both domestically and internationally.”
Agencies assisting in the investigation include the FBI’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, the New York City Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, the Port Authority Police Department, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.