The Los Angeles Police Department says its Cargo Theft Task Force recovered about $1 million in merchandise believed stolen from BNSF and Union Pacific trains during a Sept. 30 search warrant at a shoe store in Whittier, Calif. Police reported finding 59 pallets of goods, including Nike, New Balance, Brooks and Sanuk footwear, Yeti drinkware, JanSport backpacks and Shark vacuums. The store’s 45-year-old owner was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property, according to police; MyNewsLA reported he was released on his own recognizance the next day.
According to LAPD, the owner said he bought much of his inventory from brokers or middlemen who act as illegitimate distributors. Police have not said how the goods left railroad custody or identified those suppliers. Union Pacific, BNSF and Alameda Belt Line police, the Los Angeles Port Police and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation took part in the case.
The case centers on the resale side of cargo theft, where stolen freight moves through intermediaries into retail channels, and on coordination among railroad, port and local police to trace it.
Sources
- FreightWaves: LAPD uncovers $1M in stolen BNSF and Union Pacific rail cargo at Los Angeles–area shoe retailer (Oct. 7, 2026)
- NBC Los Angeles: $1M in stolen cargo recovered in Los Angeles theft investigation (Oct. 6, 2026)
- FOX 11 Los Angeles: $1M in stolen train cargo recovered at Whittier store; owner arrested (Oct. 6, 2026)
- MyNewsLA: LAPD: One Arrested, $1 Million in Pilfered Cargo Recovered (Oct. 6, 2026)
