Quick response and smooth communication allowed three Lafayette Parish law enforcement agencies to locate and recover a tractor-trailer -- and its more than $5 million in cargo -- in a matter of hours.
Tuesday afternoon, officers with the Carencro Police Department, Lafayette City Police Department and Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office investigated a reported 18-wheeler theft at the Travel Centers of America Truck Stop, 1701 N. University in Lafayette.
The Carencro officers located the stolen truck in the 900 block of Gendarmne Road, abandoned in a field, but the trailer was still missing. Officers began canvassing that area of the parish as well as the Carencro city limits.
Approximately 20 minutes later, officers located the trailer parked behind the Family Dollar in the 900 block of Veterans Drive in Carencro.
Krystal Logistics, of Florida, reported that the trailer contained electronic equipment valued at $5 million. The tractor truck recovered was valued at $500,000.
There have so far been no arrests in the incident. The Lafayette Police Department is the lead agency in the ongoing investigation of the theft.