Missing truck that carried 18 tons of Crisco oil found empty near Hialeah

A Hialeah police officer made a slick discovery Monday when he picked up a Lo-Jack signal and discovered an abandoned tractor-trailer that had been hauling more than 18 tons of canned Crisco cooking oil.

The truck was stolen Sunday morning from a towing company in St. Petersburg, The Tampa Bay Times reported, with more than 36,000 pounds of Crisco sticks intended for Publix Super Market’s main distribution center in Lakeland.

Hialeah police discovered it around noon just outside the city limits near Northwest 32nd Avenue and 123rd Street.

Police still don't know who stole the truck. The truck was found empty.

"This is typical cargo theft which is sold either locally in the black market or to an overseas destination," said Hialeah police Lt. Carl Zogby.

Zogby said an independent truck driver named Sahib Barak was transporting the cargo when it was reported stolen.

According to the Times, the truck is a red 2005 Volvo with Florida plates. The trailer was a white Hyundai, also with Florida plates. Police believe the same thieves broke into another trailer at the towing center, stealing boxes from an Amazon distribution center in Ruskin.

This story was originally published October 14, 2014 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Missing truck that carried 18 tons of Crisco oil found empty near Hialeah."