Multiple Kentucky law enforcement agencies partnered to halt members of an interstate cargo theft ring that hijacked a load of industrial copper spools by using fraudulent carrier documents.
On September 11, 2026, the Kentucky State Police (KSP) contacted the Prestonsburg Police Department (PPD) regarding a cargo load of industrial copper spools that had been stolen from out of state and was off route in Prestonsburg near Riverside Drive.
PPD Det. Hutchinson responded to a commercial business, found no unusual activity, and then left to meet with the property owner, who said that the building had been recently leased to a verified out-of-state company.
Det. Hutchinson returned to the commercial property ten minutes later to find a commercial vehicle backed up to the loading docks with a forklift unloading large spools of power utility grade copper.
Upon seeing police, the forklift operator fled the scene on foot.
A canine unit located the forklift operator nearby. He was identified as Christopher Delgado of California and placed under arrest on charges of Receiving Stolen Property over $10,000.00 and Fleeing/Evading Police on Foot.
“Further, it was determined that the driver of the truck, Haykaz Gasparyan of Tujunga, California, was operating his commercial vehicle with fraudulent required documentation and was arrested by KSP Det. Isaac related to his involvement in the theft of cargo. It was ultimately determined that the trucking company located by law enforcement in Prestonsburg had fraudulently branded their documentation as the company who was intended to pick the load up, masquerading as that company, took the material from the distributor and left the course of delivery raising alarms with the distributor as it was equipped with GPS tracking. It is our belief that the copper eventually was to be loaded on another truck and transported out of the state, and the events that unfolded here were intended to serve as a “transfer station” located well away from the intended route and interstate highways,” the PPD said.
The recovered cargo load of copper is valued at nearly $600,000, police said.
The interstate cargo theft remains under investigation by KSP.
