A Texas Perspective

Daily update | Monday, June 23, 2025

An Educational Newsletter

Good morning,

When jugging made its way to South Carolina, victims, nor local authorities had any idea what it was. But on closer investigation of the crime, reports now indicate that the criminal act originated in Texas, Houston of all places.

Now police in South Carolina are warning people that the increasingly popular crime is becoming a disturbing trend.

What is jugging?

“While the exact origin of "jugging" in Houston isn't definitively pinpointed, information suggests that Houston Police noticed a significant increase in these types of crimes in 2012. This indicates that jugging became a more recognized issue around that time, leading to increased attention from law enforcement and ultimately resulting in 200 jugging-related arrests since 2013, compared to just a handful the year before. 

The term itself gained traction around 6 or 7 years before a June 2018 Houston Chronicle article, initially referring to perpetrators stealing purses from unlocked vehicles at gas stations, later evolving to encompass crimes targeting those with newly withdrawn cash.

Furthermore, an ABC13 article from March 2015 reports that police in Houston were teaming up with the District Attorney's office to crack down on "bank jugging". This suggests that by this time, the crime was already a known and growing concern in the area. 

Therefore, based on these sources, while jugging has roots in previous theft methods, it became a more distinct and increasingly common crime in Houston around 2012, with law enforcement noticing a surge in incidents.”

The juggers are suspected to be associated with organized crime rings, gangs, or clicks, and according to multiple reports, but not on the scale as that of the Mafia.

The clicks target banks or ATM withdrawals, especially if the amount withdrawn is large.

When their target is picked, they follow them to another location, or even sometimes their homes and robbed.

Surveillance cameras are useful, but only after the crime has been committed. It would be helpful if bank security teams monitored surveillance footage periodically throughout the day. They can identify those sitting around waiting for a target, and to go along with this practice security guards can keep an eye on the parking lot of the bank and surrounding areas for possible jugging suspects, sitting around waiting on their next victim.

Fox26 Houston reported:

“A Houston man says $60,000 was stolen from his car in a suspected jugging incident after he withdrew the money from a Capital One Bank.

Security video shows a black Toyota RAV4 trailing him to an auto shop, where a suspect was seen taking something from his vehicle.

Houston police are investigating, and proposed legislation could soon create a specific criminal charge for jugging in Texas.”

ABC13 Eyewitness News reports:

“A suspect and a Houston police officer have been hospitalized after an officer-involved shooting in the Galleria Area on Sunday, authorities said.

The Houston Police Department said the incident happened at about 4:40 p.m. near the intersection of Westheimer and Post Oak, after officers were alerted to a vehicle believed to be connected to a jugging (a type robbery that happens when a suspect follows a victim from a bank to their next location) at the Galleria on Saturday.”

This criminal activity is to a point in Houston and Texas that there's been some new legislation passed to finally punish those severely involved in this activity. HB 1902 ‘is recognizing jugging as a distinct offense and increasing penalties, potentially charging it as a felony based on the severity of the crime.’

Tips to keep safe are to pay attention to your surroundings, and suspicious individuals who will be dressed in thuggish cloths. Pay attention to occupants of parked vehicles around the bank and ATMs. Never leave the bank with the cash in your hands, conceal it, regardless if it's an envelope or cash bag. Pay attention to your rearview mirror after you leave the bank, or ATM to see if you are being followed, and if you suspect you are being followed, pull into a crowded area and keep an eye on the vehicle following you. If it follows you into the crowded area, notify the police and patiently wait on them as you keep your eye on the vehicle.

 

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