Thieves steal $1.5 million worth of Oculus VR headsets, $900K in Microsoft goods during truck heists

And sold it all to someone in Florida for a fraction of the price

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In brief: There's a lot of money in tech hardware, which is why these products are such enticing targets for criminals. The punishment is harsh for those who get caught, of course – just ask the six men indicted for allegedly stealing a truck filled with $1.5 million worth of Oculus headsets.

The movie-style heists involved the men surveilling distribution facilities throughout the Midwest and Southeastern US. Their plan was to steal products that were shipping in interstate commerce, according to the indictment, which was reported by 404 Media.

The facilities, used by various national companies to distribute their products, sent out semi-tractor trailers to deliver the goods.

The vehicles were allegedly followed by the co-conspirators, who would steal the entire semi-tractor and trailer when the drivers stopped to refuel or rest. They would then attach the trailer to their own semi and abandon the stolen tractor.

To try to conceal the identity of the stolen trailers, the thieves would paint over logos and identifying numbers and use different license plates. Many of the stolen goods ended up being transported to Dade County in Florida, where they were sold to another buyer for a fraction of the load's value.

One of the targeted facilities was a location in Louisville, Kentucky, used by Meta. On May 6, 2022, two of the co-conspirators followed a trailer that left the facility and stole the truck from a Pilot truck stop in Haubstadt, Indiana. They drove it to Vanderburgh County, where they abandoned the tractor and trailer.

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That trailer was carrying Oculus reality VR goggles valued at approximately $1.5 million. The date of the crime suggests these would have been Oculus Quest 2 headsets, which were rebranded as the Meta Quest 2 in late 2021 and remain the most popular VR headset among Steam survey participants. The device launched with a $299 MSRP for the 64GB model and $399 for the 256GB version.

The Steam survey's most popular VR headsets

It wasn't just Meta whose products were stolen. The men also grabbed a truck with $940,000 in Microsoft goods in 2022, along with another carrying $530,000 worth of Harman-JBL products. A truck carrying Sony products was also stolen, though the value of the items was not revealed.

The crimes continued into 2023 when the criminals stole more semi-tractors hauling $180,000 of Logitech products, more JBL items, Meta electronics, and Bose audio speakers. It wasn't just tech items being stolen; trucks carrying $1 million worth of CF Moto ATVs, Victoria's Secret, and Bath and Body Works products were also hit.

It seems Oculus VR headsets are a popular target for thieves. Last week, seven men were arrested in Grapevine, Texas, over accusations that they stole over $6 million worth of merchandise direct from warehouses. This included $500,000 worth of Ray-Ban glasses and Oculus virtual reality headsets.