WASHINGTON — A shipment of lobster valued at $400,000, destined for Costco outlets, was stolen by criminals who masqueraded as a genuine freight company, disclosed the CEO of an Indiana-based logistics firm.

Dylan Rexing, CEO of Rexing Companies, revealed that his company had been engaged to transport the lobsters from Massachusetts to the Midwest on December 12, as reported by WHDH. Rexing stated that after the carrier they contracted departed with the cargo, the GPS device was deactivated, and the shipment disappeared.

Rexing informed WHDH that he later discovered the driver had assumed a false identity, pretending to be an authorized carrier.

In a conversation with FOX 32 Chicago, Rexing described the incident as a bitter experience.

“$400,000 is a lot of people we can hire, so it’s a little heartbreaking, our business overall we have 100 employees so it’s a large pill to swallow for us,” he said. “We’ll get through that and frankly, the lobster is gone, I know that, I’m here today to shed light on the issue so folks around the country know how big a problem this really is.” 

The CEO of the Evansville, Indiana-based company also said he was told by police there had been a similar theft of crab from the same Massachusetts facility just a few days prior. 

“It’s pretty safe to say this is a theft ring of some sort, I’m not sure exactly who’s involved,” Rexing added.

According to Rexing, the FBI is involved in the investigation but said these sort of thefts are becoming a huge problem for the industry and they need more resources to catch those involved.