Men charged with stealing 1,200 pairs of Air Jordans from a train in the Mojave Desert
Three men accused of stealing more than 1,200 pairs of Air Jordans from a train in the Mojave Desert were foiled by a GPS tracker hidden inside the shipment, authorities said.
Authorities were notified by BNSF Railway police Friday that a shipping container had been moved from a train near Amboy in San Bernardino County, the Orange County district attorney’s office said in a release.
Nike had placed a GPS tracker in the shipment of 11 Retro shoes, which was worth about $311,000. Authorities did not say whether the shoes were a new color, which would retail for around $230 a pair, or a different model.
Police tracked the GPS signal to a U-Haul truck at an Anaheim parking lot and found 1,278 pairs of shoes inside, prosecutors said. The suspects are believed to be part of an organized theft ring, according to a district attorney’s spokesperson.
Thieves pilfering railroad cars is a crime that harks back to the days of horseback-riding bandits, but is fueled by a host of modern realities including homeless encampments and e-commerce.
Bryan QuinteroEcharravia, 18, of Mesa, Ariz.; Bernardo Romeroquintero, 34, of Phoenix; and Olegario Flores, 26, were charged with felony counts of grand theft and receiving stolen property. The two older men also were charged with possession of burglary tools. They face a maximum sentence of three years if convicted on all counts.
“Organized theft rings are no match for the sophistication and determination of law enforcement to track down these thieves, arrest them and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,†Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
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