Train heists in remote desert areas of the West have netted millions in Nike shoes

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A band of robbers targets a train in the remote desert of Arizona, sneaking on board, slashing an air hose and forcing the locomotive to come to a dead halt. Then they take the goods and flee.

No, it's not the 1800s. It's 2025.

In less than a year, at least 10 such train heists in California and Arizona have netted about $2 million worth of Nike shoes, Paste BN has confirmed after the Los Angeles Times first reported the string of robberies. More than 60 people are being charged in federal court in connection with the 10 heists, as well as other thefts in 2023 and 2024.

The robberies work like a “human conveyor belt,” with the goods passed from the train to the ground, to a truck, according to Keith Lewis, vice president of operations at CargoNet, a private company that provides supply chain theft intelligence to law enforcement.

“It’s done fast. It’s fast as lightning,” Lewis told the Arizona Republic, part of the Paste BN Network, adding that the thieves like conducting the heists in isolated areas so they have time to flee. “A lot of those areas you can't get to other than with a helicopter ... You can't even get to some of those rail tracks with off-road vehicles.”

The majority of the thefts have targeted trains operated by BNSF. The company says it's working with local authorities to address the problem.

"We work hard to protect our customers' freight from pickup to delivery and have security measures in place to help ensure these goods arrive safely," BNSF said in a statement to Paste BN on Tuesday. "We are working with federal, state, local, and tribal police departments to coordinate our approach to disrupting criminal activity and arresting offenders."

Train, ground, truck: a quick process

In multiple affidavits submitted in federal court filings and obtained by Paste BN, Homeland Security Investigations special agent Brynna Cooke describes how the heists are done.

Robbers scout containers to identify those that could have valuable cargo like Nike shoes and electronics, Cooke says.

They usually board trains in staging areas before they begin rolling. Then while the train is moving, they move from container to container, opening them with saws and bolt cutters.

When they find something worth stealing, they’ll often force the train to stop by cutting the braking system air hose, causing it to “go into an emergency stop.” According to Cooke, once the train comes to a halt, box trucks are sent in to unload the merchandise and flee.

Lewis has seen the process firsthand.

“I've watched them through binoculars,” he told the Republic. “I just couldn't get there in time.”

Jan 13: More than $400,000 in shoes are stolen in Arizona

One of the most recent train thefts happened on Jan. 13 in northern Arizona when police arrested 11 people in connection with the robbery of Nike shoes from a BNSF train in a remote area outside of Williams, some 170 miles north of Phoenix, according to court records obtained by Paste BN.

Robbers who were on board the train cut its air hose around 11 a.m., causing the train to automatically go into an emergency stop.

Shortly after the thieves cut the Arizona train's air hose on Jan. 13, a BNSF police officer who was in the area spotted several cases of Nike shoes beside the train and later saw several people loading Nike cases into a U-Haul truck and a Ford Econoline truck nearby.

There were trackers inside some of the boxes that authorities then used to conduct a traffic stop on the van, court records say. When authorities later searched both trucks, they found 1,985 pairs of unreleased Nike shoes worth over $440,000, according to court records.

The shoes targeted were a new Air Jordan 4 style, a striking red-orange collaboration with BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester, dubbed “Bike Air.” When they go on sale in the spring, they will retail for $225.

But not all train heists end in arrests. When thieves cut air hoses in remote areas, conductors and engineers are stranded along with the disabled train. Ill-equipped to stop a robbery, they can’t do much beyond calling 911.

“I've had conductors telling me that they actually watched them unload it," Lewis told the Republic. "But by policy, they can't confront them because they're not armed, and the bad guys could be armed."

Jan: 10, $18,000 in shoes are stolen

In Southern California, two suspects are accused of stealing about $18,000 worth of merchandise in a remote area known as the Wonder Valley. According to a news release from the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department, BNSF Police contacted authorities for help.

Police said they were notified that several suspects were robbing a train. On the way to the scene, police said they saw a box truck driving in the area. 

“Deputies conducted a traffic enforcement stop on the vehicle and, through investigation, located approximately $18,000 in stolen items inside the truck,” police said.

Two men, 28-year-old Oscar Sosa of Apple Valley, California, and 45-year-old Jose Villalobos-Infante of Phoenix, were arrested in connection to the robbery. They've since been charged with second-degree burglary, grand theft and conspiracy, according to the Hi-Desert Star.

Paste BN was not able to immediately find attorneys representing the men.

Jan: 15, $400,000 in shoes are stolen again

Only two days after the Arizona heist and five days after the robbery in San Bernardino County, robbers allegedly targeted a train in the same area of California.

According to a news release from police, BNSF Railroad police notified the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department of a train robbery. Deputies again spotted a white van leaving the area.

"However, the vehicle failed to yield, and a pursuit ensued," a sheriff's department statement said. "The vehicle became disabled on a dirt berm, two occupants fled, and a foot pursuit ensued."

Two teenagers, whose names have not been released, were arrested in connection with the robbery. Police said they were able to recover 218 cases of Nike shoes valued at about $408,000.

Police have identified possible “ringleader”

According to federal court records, a man identified as Felipe Avalos-Mejia is alleged to be the ringleader of some of the train heists, operating out of Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Investigators say that Avalos-Mejia had a network of scouts who helped him select trains to target. Investigators also said Avalos-Mejia provided cars and paid burglary crews to rob the trains.

Police raided 11 homes and 16 storage units connected to Avalos-Mejia in June, arresting 43 suspects and recovering $3 million in merchandise believed to have been stolen from BNSF trains.

Avalos-Mejia was arrested one day later on June 21. Court documents say police found $120,000 in cash, as well as a "detailed ledger that listed Nike and other merchandise that is typically burglarized from BNSF trains, as well as dollar amounts detailing what the merchandise is worth and for what it is sold."

Avaloz-Mejia's attorney declined Paste BN's request for comment on Tuesday.

Contributing: Lane Sainty, the Arizona Republic

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.