The modern-day cowboys who use pickup trucks and trailers to steal cattle off the range often resort to rustling in order to buy drugs, Oklahoma authorities tell Reuters. “The recent rise in rustling is driven by the spread of heroin and methamphetamines to rural areas, an issue that has dogged states across the nation …. The thefts are made easier by a lax regulatory system at cattle markets that allows thieves to pocket thousands of dollars and then slip away into the countryside,” says the news agency.
Cattle theft in Oklahoma and Texas can bring a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Some 2,500-3,000 head are stolen annually in Oklahoma, with about 45 percent recovered or tracked down, says Reuters. In Texas, where cattle ranchers have their own rangers, slightly more than 3,900 cattle were reported stolen in 2014.