In a series of audacious thefts that have rocked the freight industry, gangs of illegal immigrants have reportedly pilfered over $2 million worth of Nike sneakers from freight trains traversing California and Arizona.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday that these thefts, which have been occurring for several months, have targeted high-value footwear, with the thieves demonstrating a clear preference for the popular Nike brand.
According to the Daily Caller, the thieves have successfully executed at least ten heists between March 2024 and January 13, 2025, making off with the expensive sneakers in nine out of the ten incidents. This is despite the arrest of a ringleader, suggesting a level of organization and audacity that has left law enforcement agencies scrambling.
In one particularly brazen incident on January 13, the thieves allegedly sabotaged a BNSF freight train in Perrin, Arizona, by cutting an air brake hose. This forced the railcars into an emergency stop, allowing the thieves to make off with 1,985 pairs of Nikes worth over $440,000. Federal law enforcement agencies have since arrested eleven individuals in connection with the crime, nine of whom were reportedly Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S. Five of the eleven have pleaded not guilty, while the remaining six have yet to enter pleas.
The stolen footwear reportedly included many pairs of the yet-to-be-released Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4s, each pair estimated to cost $225. In another incident, sheriffs deputies in Mohave County intercepted a van laden with about 180 pairs of then-unreleased Air Jordan 11 Retro Legend Blue sneakers, estimated to be worth $41,400. The driver of the van has since pleaded not guilty.
The thieves' audacity did not stop there. In December, they made off with Nike Dunk Low Midnight Navy sneakers valued at about $48,000 in a heist near Yampaz, Arizona. Four individuals were arrested in connection with this theft, three of whom have pleaded not guilty, while the fourth has yet to enter a plea.
The authorities have also reported thefts of Nike Air Jordans worth $346,200 in additional Arizona train heists in April and June. These sneakers had not yet been released to the public at the time of the thefts, but investigators have since recovered them.
In a significant breakthrough, authorities arrested Felipe Arturo Pollo Avalos-Mejia on June 21, accusing him of being the ringleader of these crimes and alleging his involvement for over 11 years. They reportedly found shoes worth over $94,000 at a location from which Avalos-Mejia initially fled before his arrest. They also reportedly found numerous shoes with his girlfriend. In total, 43 suspects were arrested and about $3 million worth of apparently stolen merchandise was recovered from 16 storage units in California on June 20. Despite Avalos-Mejia's arrest and subsequent not guilty plea, the crimes have reportedly continued unabated.
In 2024, eight people were arrested in connection with the theft of $612,000 worth of Nikes in two separate cases in Arizona. Five defendants have pleaded not guilty. In the ghost town of Amboy in Californias Mohave Desert, thieves reportedly stole Nike merchandise worth $436,000 in two train heists.
The thieves reportedly learn of valuable consignments through accomplices working at warehouses or trucking companies and then track and board the freight trains before robbing them, or cut through containers holding the goods. They then transfer the goods to waiting vehicles.
Brynna Cooke, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, reportedly stated that Mexican members of transnational criminal cartels, such as the Sinaloa cartel, are often responsible for these heists. The thieves often escape detection in part because the trains are very long, and railroad cargo thefts often go underreported despite costing the largest rail companies in the U.S. more than $100 million.
Despite the best efforts of law enforcement, some of the stolen merchandise reportedly ends up in California and on online platforms such as Amazon and eBay. This is despite these platforms' stated zero tolerance for criminal acts and their cooperation with law enforcement agents against sellers of stolen goods.
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