Illegal immigrants charged in Nike shoe heist as cartels rob US cargo trains
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Two people are behind bars after the latest arrests of suspected thieves from Mexico allegedly nabbing millions of dollars of Nike sneakers in elaborate railroad heists in the Mojave Desert. 

On March 27, the Hualapai Nation Police Department in Arizona pulled over the driver of a maroon Chevy Tahoe “suspected to be involved in train robberies in the area,” according to a statement from the agency. 

As officers conducted the traffic stop, eight people jumped out of the car and fled. Police said they located stolen Nike shoes nearby, and the driver of the vehicle, a man from Mexico, was arrested.

The Nike store in New York City

People visit a Nike store on 5th Avenue during the holiday season in New York City Dec. 9, 2022.  (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

“Criminal organizations that specialize in stealing from trains, which consist primarily of Mexican citizens with connections to the Mexican State of Sinaloa, have used the technique of cutting air hoses to control where trains with valuable cargo come to a stop,” the DOJ said in a statement. “This act is very dangerous and can cause the trains, which travel up to 70 miles per hour, to derail.” 

Thieves will often leave boxes of stolen goods along railroad tracks for a second crew to pick up and transport to California, where the products will be sold online, according to federal prosecutors. 

Nike did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.  

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