An enclosed trailer leaning sharply toward its passenger side led Nebraska sheriff’s deputies to approximately $250,000 in stolen copper wire during a traffic stop on Interstate 80.
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said its Criminal Interdiction Unit stopped the westbound truck near Waverly on Oct. 7, 2026. Inside the enclosed trailer, deputies discovered 11 pallets containing approximately 44,000 pounds of copper wire.
The driver, Raman Pal of California, was taken into custody after presenting identification that appeared not to belong to him. Deputies later determined from shipping records that the copper was traveling beyond its intended destination and was no longer with the carrier authorized to transport it…