In a series of daring heists that resulted in the robbery of more than US$ 2 million worth of fresh Nike sneakers, many of which haven’t reach the financial market but, according to officials and court documents, thieves have targeted freight trains running through the deserts of California and Arizona. In a Jan. 13 assault, suspects allegedly cut an air brake faucet off a BNSF freight train passing through a remote area of Arizona and stole more than 1,900 pair of unpublished Nikes, all of which were worth more than US$$ 440,000, according to a criminal complaint that was filed in federal court in Phoenix. The issue states that many of the shoes were Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4s, which didn’t be made available to the general public until March 14 and are expected to cost US$ 225 per couple. The Los Angeles Times reported that the at least 10 thefts against BNSF trains have been taking place in rural parts of the Mojave Desert since last March, according to the Los Angeles Times. All but one resulted in the robbery of Nike shoes, according to authorities. In the January 13 crime, eleven people were accused of having or receiving goods that had been stolen from an interstate sale. All 11 of them have entered a not-guilty plea and received a detention order. Ten Mexican who fraudulently resided in the United States. Officials in court records state that a Mexican national who was a defendant in prison trials in the United States. According to the issue, the defendants in the attack from January 13 were discovered using tracking devices contained inside some of the boxes. In another case, a BNSF coach came to an emergency stop near Hackberry, Arizona, on Nov. 20 after it started losing atmosphere, according to a complaint filed in the Phoenix federal court. According to the problem, sheriff’s deputies in Mohave County discovered approximately 180 pairs of then-unreleased Air Jordan 11 Retro Legend Blue sneakers worth US$ 41, 400 after a white board vehicle was seen leaving the area. Two other cases in which BNSF freight trains were burglarized near Kingman and Seligman, Arizona, last year resulted in the theft of US$ 612, 000 worth of Nikes and eight arrests, according to federal criminal complaints. According to Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at Verisk’s CargoNet and deputy sheriff in Arizona, Thieves typically scout merchandise on rail lines that parallel Interstate 40 by boarding slow-moving trains when they are changing tracks and opening containers. According to Lewis, associates with businesses that work in warehouses or trucking companies occasionally inform the thieves of their whereabouts. Authorities claim in another instance that a Mexican man who oversaw the trains ‘ crews had scouts who would tip him off on the trains to target, provided the vehicles, paid the crews, and facilitated the sale of stolen goods. In “follow vehicles,” which track the rail cars, the suspects are frequently assisted by accomplices. According to Brynna Cooke, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent cited in affidavits filed in federal court, the loot is thrown from the train after it comes to a halt, either for a scheduled stop or because an air hose has been cut. Trending Now
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The thefts from cargo trains cost the nation’s six largest freight railroads more than US$ 100 million last year because of a combination of the value of the stolen goods and the cost of railcar repairs the thieves damaged. The problem is getting worse in recent years as the thefts have become more organized and sophisticated. According to the Association of American Railroads trade group, thefts increased by about 40 % in the last year to 65, 000 across the country. In 2022, thieves took packages from people all over the United States and blanketed the tracks with discarded boxes of items deemed not valuable enough to steal. They also seized cargo containers from trains near downtown Los Angeles for months. Authorities and freight companies were forced to increase security in the area as a result of the audacious thefts. In 2015, thieves stole 111 guns after busting the locks off a train in a Chicago railyard. Railroads has invested millions to fight against these thefts, but it’s not like they can easily encroach on the more than 140, 000 miles of track they traverse the nation. It travels through the heart of many cities, bringing millions of shipments of everything from bulk commodities like coal and grain to raw materials like rock, and crosses remote, rural areas. The rail trade organization claimed that more federal regulation and harsher sanctions are required to stop the thefts. Only about 1 out of every 10 theft attempts leads to an arrest, according to the railroads, and many of the people who are detained are repeat offenders. One railroad even claimed to have detained the same person five times in a single day. The Associated Press inquired about the thefts, but BNSF and Union Pacific, another major freight railroad, didn’t respond right away. In a statement to the Times, BNSF stated that its internal police force communicates information with local law enforcement and prosecutors as needed. The organization stated that its employees are instructed not to confront thieves but to report the incidents instead. The trains are so long and the thieves take care to evade detection, but the crews rarely come across them, it said. In shipping hubs all over the nation, cargo thefts from trains, trucks, and ships are a problem, and the FBI is investigating. According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, cargo thefts at various points along the supply chain, including ports, trains, and trucks, cost between US$ 15 billion and US$ 35 billion annually. Many of the more organized groups target major shipping hubs like Los Angeles, Dallas, Memphis, Chicago and Atlanta.
