Story by Ethan
On June 3rd, 2026, the arrests of Murodullo Khasanov, Nodir Kobilov, Shavkatbek Mamadjanov, Rakhmiddin Abdullaev, Aleksey Vorobyev, Nizom Ismoilov, Doston Mardoev, and Dilshod Nabiev, were announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr.. The defendants were each charged with first-degree Grand Larceny, multiple counts of second-degree Grand Larceny, first and second-degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property, and fourth-degree Conspiracy. The arrest and charges against the eight defendants were a result of an investigation handled by Lieutenant David Rosiak, Detectives Jeremy Natal and Joseph Sans; Inspector George Pietropinto, Assistant Chief Levon Holley and Chief of Detective Joseph Kenny of the NYPD; Commissioner Asim Rehman, Commissioner and Chair of the Business Integrity Commission; Detective Danny Rafael of the Port Authority; Trooper Austin Burritt and Detective Grigoriy Shperkin of the New Jersey State Police; Detective Stephen Milosh of the Vineland Police Department; and Sr. Crime Intelligence Analyst Ralph Pepe of CargoNet, FBI New York Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force; FBI Philadelphia Organized Crime & Cyber Crime Teams; NYPD 60th & 61st Precinct Field Intelligence Teams; and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the alleged conspiracy began in October 2025 and lasted until April 2026, during which six thefts took place. The various alleged thefts included $165,000 worth of lamb, $432,000 worth of cheese, $295,000 worth of beef, over $266,000 worth of copper, and over $3,300,000 worth of cigarettes. All thefts were coordinated by Murodullo Khasanov, the alleged leader of the conspiracy.
The defendants gained access to the large shipments by creating a hacker group to then allegedly win bets using an online platform. The online platform is used by manufacturers to contact shipping brokers advertising the job to carriers, then the interested shipping carriers place bids and the winning bid receives the final shipment details. After the defendants’ hacker group would get shipment details they would allegedly lease out tractor trucks and affix their names and registrations to match the proper details of the actual shipping carrier designated to make the pickups. These trucks would then be driven to pick up the goods before coordinating further shipment plans in Manhattan, New York.
In November 2025, Nodir Kobilov allegedly drove a truck that was impersonating Z Mile Inc.. This truck arrived at a logistics center in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, to pick up frozen lamb. After retrieving the lamb, Nodir Kobilov met with Murodullo Khasanov who supervised and assisted with getting the stolen goods from Manhattan to the Bronx, despite the designated deliveries needing to be made to Minnesota and Wyoming.
In December 2025, Shavkatbek Mamadjanov allegedly drove a truck that was impersonating Altex Logistics Inc.. This truck arrived at a logistics center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to pick up approximately 25,395 total pounds of cheese including parmesan, pecorino, and manchego. The cheese was supposed to be delivered to Georgia. In this instance the shipping broker fell for a phishing scam from the defendants’ hacker group, sending information via email to Murodullo Khasanov when they believed him to be a trucking carrier.
In December 2025, Rakhmiddin Abdullaev allegedly drove a truck that was impersonating Masters Trucking. This truck arrived in Darby Township, Pennsylvania, to pick up approximately 39,600 pounds of beef. The beef was supposed to be delivered to Aurora, Colorado. The shipping broken unknowingly sent the bid details to a member of the defendants’ hacker group which led to Murodullo Khasanov receiving the shipment details. Rakhmiddin Abdullaev then conducted the theft under the supervision of Murodullo Khasanov.
In February 2026, Doston Mardoev allegedly drove a truck that was impersonating Viking Transport. This truck arrived at a logistics center in Newark, New Jersey, to pick up approximately 43,100 pounds of copper wire. The stolen copper was transported to the Bronx through Manhattan before being sold to “Scrap King” in Brooklyn by Murodullo Khasanov, Aleksey Vorobyev, and Nizom Ismoilov.
On two occasions in March 2026, two trucks that were impersonating Preston Deliveries LLC were allegedly driven by Murodullo Khasanov, Dilshod Nabiev, Nizom Ismoilov, and two other unnamed individuals. This truck arrived at CJ Logistics America in Colonial Heights, Virginia to pick up over $3,300,000 worth of cigarettes. The cigarettes were transported to the Bronx through Manhattan despite them intending to be delivered to Tennessee and Florida. The stolen cigarettes were recovered after a court-authorized search warrant was executed in the Bronx.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Murodullo Khasanov, Nobir Kobilov, Shavkatbek Mamadjanov, Rakhmiddin Abdullaev, Aleksey Vorobyev, Nizom Ismoilov, Doston Mardoev, and Dilshod Nabiev are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
