Arkansas increases penalties for cargo theft

Land Line, By Ryan Witkowski, March 20, 2025

New legislation in Arkansas aims to slow the rise in cargo theft by creating stiffer penalties for individuals convicted of the crime.

On Tuesday, March 18, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law SB301, which enhances the penalty for those convicted of “organized theft of cargo” by adding up to 10 years to the sentence. Individuals convicted of theft under the new legislation are not eligible to receive earned release credits for the enhanced portion of the sentence.

Introduced in February by Rep. Jeremiah Moore, R-Clarendon, the legislation also declares a cargo theft emergency in Arkansas – something Moore said is a “pervasive problem in the state.”

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