# The crew that stole $230,000 in dimes

> A Philadelphia ring cut locks on parked trucks for seven months, hauling off crab legs, electronics and a literal fortune in coins.
- Title: The crew that stole $230,000 in dimes · PhillyVoice | Shortify
- Summary: A Philadelphia ring cut locks on parked trucks for seven months, hauling off crab legs, electronics and a literal fortune in coins. Cargo theft is low-tech…
- Keywords: cargo theft, philadelphia, courts, sentencing, crime, news, local, crew, stole, 230, 000, dimes
- Source: PhillyVoice — https://phillyvoice.com/philly-crime-tractor-trailer-theft-sentencing
- Published: 2026-09-11T13:54:09.075+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: cargo theft, philadelphia, courts, sentencing, crime, news, local
## Eleven years for a truck crew
Haneef "Lew" Palmer, 33, of Philadelphia was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in federal prison for leading a cargo theft ring that hit tractor trailers across the city.
## A million and a half in goods
The group took more than $1.5 million worth of cargo. Palmer was also ordered to pay $1.08 million in restitution.
## Seven months of hits
The thefts ran from January through July of 2023, a steady series rather than a single score, according to prosecutors.
## Crab legs, electronics, dimes
The haul was strange and specific: frozen crab legs, electronics, and $230,000 worth of dimes, which is roughly 2.3 million coins.

> Among the items they stole: frozen crab legs, electronics and $230,000 worth of dimes
## Bolt cutters and parked trucks
They struck when trailers sat unattended or while drivers slept, cutting into cargo compartments to empty them out.

> The thefts were carried out when trucks were left unattended or when drivers were asleep.
## Sold back to the neighborhood
The stolen goods did not go far. Prosecutors say the group resold them to buyers in the area.
## The night it turned violent
In April 2023, Palmer and others robbed a truck carrying commercial refrigerators and attacked the driver, moving the case well past property crime.
## Charged, then a guilty plea
Palmer was charged in December 2024 with conspiracy, robbery, theft of government money and related counts. He pleaded guilty in March.
## Key takeaway

Cargo theft is low-tech and opportunistic: an unattended trailer and a pair of bolt cutters were the whole operation, until a federal case ended it with 11 years.