Stealing a car is one thing. Stealing a fully loaded semi that tips the scales around 80,000 pounds is a different problem entirely, because there is nowhere to hide something that big. Yet investigators say two men in North Carolina worked out a method that kept them ahead of the law across two states, and the total tied to their operation has climbed past $630,000 in stolen rigs.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation arrested Andrew Jumpp, 37, of Hope Mills, and Prince Betts of Raeford after coordinated raids on properties in Cumberland and Hoke counties this past Wednesday. Authorities say the pair targeted commercial trucks and trailers across North and South Carolina over an extended stretch before the case finally caught up with them. For a crime that sounds almost impossible to pull off quietly, it ran for a surprisingly long time.
The rental angle is what makes this one different
Plenty of vehicles get stolen every day. What pushes this case into stranger territory is what the suspects allegedly did after the theft. State officials say the men stole the trucks, then altered the vehicle identification numbers and swapped the license plates, and then rented the rigs out to businesses and individuals who had no idea the equipment was hot.
Think about what that actually means. The stolen property was bringing in money the whole time investigators were trying to track it down. The trucks were not sitting in a barn somewhere collecting dust. They were out on the road, working, generating income for the people accused of stealing them. That takes a particular kind of nerve, or at least an unusual comfort level with getting caught.
How the investigation came together
The case reportedly started along the North Carolina coast and grew as the pattern of thefts became impossible to ignore. By the time the raids went down, law enforcement had recovered two motor vehicles, six semi-trucks, and three trailers in a single day. That is a serious haul, but the SBI was quick to point out that dozens more vehicles linked to the scheme are still missing.
One theft now tied to the larger operation goes back to October 2, 2024. A 2021 Freightliner tractor-trailer was disconnected from its trailer at a concrete business in the Peachland area and driven off the property around 2 a.m. The truck made it as far as the Rockingham area before it went dark, apparently after whoever had it disabled the GPS. That detail matters, because it shows this was not a smash-and-go grab. Someone knew how to kill the tracking and make a truck disappear.
That Freightliner stayed gone for nearly two years. It was not until June 3, 2026, that the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office recovered it during a search warrant at a local business and connected it to the broader investigation. Both Jumpp and Betts now face felony larceny charges for the Anson County theft on top of whatever comes out of the larger case.
The trucks still out there
Here is the part that should make business owners nervous. The SBI confirmed that a significant number of vehicles connected to this scheme have still not been found. Some of them may be parked in a lot right now, being used by someone who has no clue the title behind their rental is fake.
Anyone who suspects they may have unknowingly rented a truck tied to the suspects is asked to contact the SBI at 919-662-4500. The Anson County Sheriff’s Office is also taking tips at 704-694-4188 for anything connected to the local theft. If your operation leases equipment from third parties, this is a good moment to double-check exactly who you are dealing with.
Why commercial truck theft deserves more attention
Stealing big rigs is not a new crime, but the rental twist here changes the math. A business that leases equipment from a third party without fully verifying ownership can end up in a legal mess if that equipment turns out to be stolen. You can do everything right on your end and still get burned because the truck you are paying for was never legally for sale or rent in the first place.
That is the uncomfortable reality buried in this case. It feels like someone else’s problem right up until a stolen truck shows up in your yard with your company’s name on the rental agreement. Both men remain in custody in Cumberland County, and the investigation is far from over. With dozens of vehicles still unaccounted for, the full size of this operation may turn out to be a lot bigger than the $630,000 already on the books.
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Let’s be honest — stealing an 80,000-lb rig, swapping the VIN, and then RENTING it back out to paying customers takes a level of nerve most criminals don’t have. Genius or just stupid? And here’s the scary part: dozens of these trucks are still out there. How would YOU even know the rig you’re leasing isn’t one of them?
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