Train Robbers Have Stolen Over $2 Million Worth Of Nike Sneakers
A band of thieves has carried out at least 10 different heists targeting BNSF trains in the Mojave Desert of California and Arizona over the past year, all in the pursuit of Nike sneakers. Since last March, the group has stolen about $2 million worth of shoes. It's like an Old Western movie meets "Ocean's Eleven."
These guys start by slashing an air brake hose on the train, which forces the mile-long line of railcars to come to an abrupt emergency stop. From there, they hop on and go to town on the valuable merch onboard, according to the Los Angeles Times. They usually scout out the high-value merchandise on rail lines that run parallel to Interstate 40 by boarding slow-moving trains when the railway is changing tracks or opening containers, Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at Verisk's CargoNet and a deputy sheriff in Arizona, told the outlet.
These folks really seem to know what they're doing. Here's how their whole system works, from the LA Times:
New sneaker releases may have touched off at least some of the recent incidents. In Perrin, Ariz., thieves allegedly cut an air brake hose on a BNSF freight train on Jan. 13 and unloaded 1,985 pairs of unreleased Nikes worth more than $440,000, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix. Many were Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4s, which won't be available to the public until March 14 and are expected to retail at $225 per pair, the complaint states.
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Lewis said the thieves are sometimes tipped off to valuable shipments by confederates working at warehouses or trucking companies. Other times they simply look for containers with high-security locks, which they cut with reciprocating saws or bolt cutters, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent said in affidavits filed in federal court.
Once the desired loot is found, the thieves alert "follow vehicles," which track the train. The stolen goods are tossed off the train after it comes to a halt — either for a scheduled stop or because an air hose has been cut or control wires inside signal boxes have been sabotaged, said the federal agent, Brynna Cooke.
From there, the cargo would be loaded onto box trucks or simply hidden in nearby brush until other members of the team arrived to pick them up. It sounds almost too simple and rudimentary, but here we are.
Details on the heists
BNSF tells its crews not to confront thieves when they get on board, probably because the merchandise onboard isn't worth getting killed over. Instead, they say to report the incidents. To be fair, though, crews rarely encounter the thieves because the trains are so long. It's hard to know what's happening a mile from you.
In a bit of return to tradition, there were at least 65,000 railroad cargo thefts last year, accounting for a 40 percent increase over 2023, and these figures might be on the low end. Railroads don't publish all thefts. The thefts are estimated to cost the nation's largest rail companies over $100 million, according to the LA Times. That's not an insignificant number, but these companies are so big they can absorb something like that.
The Los Angeles Times has details on a few more of the robberies:
In the Jan. 13 heist, stolen cases of Nikes hurled from the train were later picked up by trucks, the federal complaint states. County and state law enforcement officers were able to catch up with the vehicles with the help of tracking devices that were inside some of the boxes. Eleven people were arrested and charged with possessing or receiving goods stolen from interstate shipment.
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And in yet another BNSF train burglary near Yampai, Ariz., on Dec. 6, investigators recovered about $48,000 worth of then-unreleased Nike Dunk Low Midnight Navy sneakers, according to a complaint filed in the Phoenix federal court charging four people with possessing or receiving goods stolen from interstate shipment. Three have pleaded not guilty, with one set for a change of plea hearing to plead guilty, and one has yet to enter a plea, according to the case docket.
Investigators also recovered a combined total of $346,200 worth of then-unreleased Nike Air Jordans following two BNSF train burglaries in April and June, according to documents filed in Phoenix federal court.
After getting away from the train, the merry band of thieves usually transports the merch to California to be sold or offered for sale online on websites like Amazon and eBay. Both sites tell the LA Times they have a zero-tolerance policy for criminal activity on their platforms, and they're working with law enforcement.
What's almost impressive is the fact that the scheme is still happening despite the fact the group's alleged ringleader, Felipe Arturo Avalos-Mejia — AKA Pollo — has been arrested. He allegedly would use scouts to help him select pick trains to target, supplied vehicles for and paid burglary crews to sell the stolen merchandise, according to a complaint filed in the Phoenix federal court.
Other train heists
As I mentioned earlier, train heists are back in a big way right now. I suppose folks are just returning to the ways of the Old West. We've told you about how Union Pacific's recent uptick in train robberies may be because it laid off thousands of workers. A year ago, we showed you a failed "Fast and Furious-style" train robbery that left a handful of Chevys and GMCs destroyed in Mexico.
There may be a pretty good reason for this uptick in train robberies: it's not that hard. Between the fact they're not really locked and have almost no guarding, it's not very difficult for your average crime syndicate, with a bit of planning, to gain access to these trains cars and the millions of dollars in valuables they have inside.