The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) says its Cargo Theft Task Force recovered about $1 million in property stolen from BNSF Railway trains after serving a search warrant on Oct. 21 at a Chatsworth business called DesignerDeals4Less, in the 21000 block of Nordhoff Street. According to an LAPD news release issued Oct. 26, the case began when detectives found stolen Brooks/Disney collaboration shoes listed for sale on eBay; a controlled purchase of those shoes led investigators to the business. Detectives recovered 35 pallets of cargo, including Brooks, Hoka, New Balance, Adidas, On and Salomon shoes and JanSport backpacks.
Police said the owner, Heros Tasci, 51, of Simi Valley, admitted buying the merchandise from illegitimate distributors of the brands. He was booked at Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of receiving stolen property. LAPD has not announced charges, and the investigation is ongoing. Partner agencies included BNSF Police, Union Pacific Railroad Police, Alameda Belt Line Police, Los Angeles Port Police, Los Angeles World Airports Police, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.
It is the second time this month that LAPD has announced a recovery of rail cargo at a Los Angeles-area retail business. On Sept. 30, the task force served a warrant at a shoe store on Slauson Avenue and found 59 pallets of goods police said were stolen from Union Pacific and BNSF shipments, NBC Los Angeles reported Oct. 6. In both cases, investigators traced stolen train freight to the point of resale. In the Chatsworth case, an online marketplace listing for a limited-edition product gave detectives their lead.
Sources
- LAPD news release: $1,000,000 in Train Cargo Recovered by LAPD Cargo Theft Task Force (NR26225kt), Oct. 26, 2026
- CBS Los Angeles: $1 million in stolen train cargo of tennis shoes and backpacks recovered in Chatsworth
- NBC Los Angeles: Police recover $1 million in stolen railroad cargo in Chatsworth
- NBC Los Angeles: $1M in stolen cargo recovered in Los Angeles theft investigation (Oct. 6, 2026)
