Cargo trains travelling through the barren landscapes of Arizona and California have been the target of daring thieves, who have successfully pilfered over $2 million worth of fresh-from-the-factory Nike sneakers, including several pairs yet to hit the retail shelves, as per official reports and court records.
On January 13, the suspects successfully executed a daring heist, severing the air brake hose of a BNSF freight train traversing an isolated part of Arizona, allowing them to abscond with over 1,900 pairs of yet-to-be-released Nikes, valued at over $440,000. This information is according to a criminal complaint lodged in the federal court in Phoenix. The stolen goods included the Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4s, a highly-anticipated release expected to retail at $225 per pair, as per the court documents.
The Los Angeles Times reports that this audacious theft is one of at least ten similar heists targeting BNSF trains in the remote stretches of the Mojave Desert since the previous March. Almost all of these incidents resulted in the theft of Nike sneakers.
Following the January 13 incident, eleven individuals were charged with possession and receipt of stolen interstate goods. All eleven have entered not guilty pleas and have been detained pending trial. Ten of the accused are unauthorised Mexican immigrants, and another is a Mexican citizen undergoing asylum proceedings in the United States.
The alleged culprits were apprehended with the help of tracking devices concealed within some of the stolen boxes, according to the court complaint. In another instance, a BNSF train was forced to make an emergency stop near Hackberry, Arizona, after it began losing air. Sheriff’s deputies in Mohave County apprehended a white panel van seen exiting the area, discovering about 180 pairs of then-unreleased Air Jordan 11 Retro Legend Blue sneakers, valued at $41,400.
Further incidents involving BNSF freight train burglaries near Kingman and Seligman, Arizona, last year culminated in the theft of $612,000 worth of Nikes, leading to eight arrests.
These audacious thieves typically conduct surveillance on merchandise on rail lines that run parallel to Interstate 40. They board slow-moving trains, such as when they are switching tracks and open containers, as per Keith Lewis, Vice President of Operations at Verisk’s CargoNet and a deputy sheriff in Arizona.
Theft from cargo trains has cost the country’s six largest freight railroads over $100 million last year owing to the stolen goods’ value and the repair costs for damaged railcars. The Association of American Railroads estimates that thefts have surged by about 40% to 65,000 nationwide.
Despite the extensive security measures taken by railroads, restricting access to the expansive 140,000 miles of track they operate across the nation is not feasible. The rail trade group has called for increased federal enforcement and harsher penalties to deter such thefts.
Cargo thefts from trains, trucks, and ships are a significant issue in shipping hubs across the country and a focus of the FBI. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimates that cargo thefts along the supply chain, from ports to trains to trucks, account for losses between $15 billion and $35 billion each year. Organized groups often target major shipping hubs like Los Angeles, Dallas, Memphis, Chicago, and Atlanta.
