1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: The James Gang would be impressed. It's one more thing, 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: Armstrong and Getty, one more And I refer not to 3 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:16,279 Speaker 1: Joe Walsh's pre Eagles, pre solo career outfit, the three 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: piece Canadian classic rock heros, the James Gang, but indeed 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: the gun wielding Western bandits specifically train robbers. We talked 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: during the Armstrong and Getty radio show about the Mojave 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: Desert train heists that targeted like unreleased Nike sneakers and 8 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: how that's just becoming. It's a huge thing now. But 9 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: how they do it and how big a problem it 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: is was a little long to get into on the 11 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: radio show, so I thought I would describe it to you. 12 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: The thieves stealthily bored eastbound freight trains hiding out until 13 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 1: they reached the lonely stretches of the Mohave Desert or 14 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: high planes way away from towns. Then they slash an 15 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: air break hose, causing the my long line of railcars 16 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: to screech to emergencies, stop up. Then they go shopping. 17 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: How many people are on one of these trains? Probably 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: not very many people at all, right, I don't know 19 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: the official people that work on the train oh, no, 20 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: it might be you know, just a couple. Yeah. I 21 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,680 Speaker 1: actually I looked into that for odd reasons years ago, 22 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: just how many people were on a train and because 23 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: I wanted to do a ride along from Reno to 24 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: Sacramento on one of the freight trains cool and learn 25 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: more about freight trains. But they were in the midst 26 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: of this bitter union dispute as the companies were trying 27 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: to go from like three people on the train to 28 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: two or whatever it was. And anyway, so it's very 29 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: very few people. But so investigators are describing a string 30 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,759 Speaker 1: of at least ten heists targeting BNSF trains in California 31 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: and Arizona since March. Last March March, all but one 32 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: resulted in the theft of Nike sneakers, their combined value 33 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: approaching two million dollars. So they cut the air hose 34 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: and they give some of the particulars of this one theft. 35 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: Many were Nigel Sylvester air Jordan Fors Who's Nigel Sylvester. 36 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 2: No, no rapper, my son would know. 37 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: Not going to be available until March fourteenth. Expected a 38 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: retail for two twenty five prepare but go for a 39 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: lot more on the black market. So the theft crews 40 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: typically scout high value merchandise on rail lines that parallel 41 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: Interstate forty. They bore the slow moving trains, like when 42 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: they're changing tracks and opening containers, according to the Veep 43 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: of Operations and Deputy sheriff who's interviewed, so the thieves 44 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: are sometimes tipped off to valuable shipments by confederates working 45 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,839 Speaker 1: at warehouses or trucking companies. Other times they simply look 46 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: for containers with high security locks the figure they're there 47 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,359 Speaker 1: for a reason, then they cut them with reciprocating saws 48 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: or bolt cutters. According to Homeland Security, once the desired 49 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: loot is found, the thieves alert follow vehicles which the train. 50 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: The stolen goods are then tossed off the train after 51 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: it comes to a halt, either for a schedule stop 52 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: or because the air hose cut or they can cut 53 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: control wires inside signal boxes too to make the train stop. 54 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: According to federal agents, well. 55 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,639 Speaker 2: One of the advantage of stealing these Nike shoes just 56 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 2: because my son so into it and he has several 57 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 2: pair of uh real expense, hev bought them in the 58 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 2: he got them for Christmas or birthday and the you know, 59 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 2: the the aftermarket is there's such an aftermarket already built 60 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 2: in for this. It'd be so easy to fence this stuff, 61 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 2: you know, because like Louis Vauton bags, it's there's not 62 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 2: like a built in infrastructure for those real bags to 63 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 2: be sold in the aftermarket for more money than they 64 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 2: go for, but there is for Nike shoes. Man, there's 65 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,160 Speaker 2: all kinds of websites that do that, and he based 66 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 2: full of them. I mean they're all over the place 67 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 2: and they'll retail for two twenty five, they'll sell out 68 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: that day. That night, they'll be all over eBay for 69 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 2: five to eight hundred dollars and all over the place. 70 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 2: So it's not people are suspicious. They might be stolen 71 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 2: immediately because it's common every single day. 72 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: And it's the opposite of most stolen goods, which you're 73 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: gonna have to sell at a discount. Yeah yeah, yeah. 74 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: So the cargo is then loaded into box trucks or 75 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:18,160 Speaker 1: hidden in nearby brush until they arrive, provided the surveillance 76 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: crews that also follow the train don't detect law enforcement. 77 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: These tactics often employed by transnational criminal groups that consist 78 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: primarily of Mexican citizens from Sinaloa. According to the FEDS, 79 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: including the Cineloa cartel, there were at least sixty five 80 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:37,360 Speaker 1: thousand railroad cargo thefts last year, which is up forty 81 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:43,239 Speaker 1: percent from twenty twenty three. Hmm more lawlessness. The thefts, 82 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: which are typically classified as burglaries because they don't involve 83 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: directly confronting victims, which is the definition of a robbery. 84 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: They're believed to cost the nation's rail companies more than 85 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,040 Speaker 1: one hundred million dollars, and it could be an undercount 86 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: because railroads don't publicize all the theft sure. 87 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 2: All I can say is, if you're in a cartel 88 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 2: and listening a pair of Travis Scott mochas in eleven 89 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: and a half, throw you a couple of bones, and 90 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 2: oh lord, this is nobody needs. 91 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,359 Speaker 1: This is breaking several different laws, and I'd be happy 92 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: to testify. Let's see. The company's crews, of course, are 93 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: instructed not to confront thieves, but to report the incidents instead, 94 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: but the crews rarely encounter them because the trains are 95 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: so long and thieves take care to evade detection. The 96 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: thefts tend to ebb and flow, often tied to the 97 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: release of desirable new products. In December, investigators saw rash 98 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: of thefts in which smart vacuum cleaners were stolen from 99 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,280 Speaker 1: train containers. The Great roombahist. 100 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 2: That's so interesting. So like speaking of Travis Scott Nike, 101 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 2: they had a release on those two months ago, on 102 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:58,719 Speaker 2: their latest there's only been like five Travis Scott releases. 103 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 2: I guarantee you when those were released, they hit a 104 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 2: train because boom, so much money to be made. Yeah, 105 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 2: those shoes, for instance, they sell out it two hundred 106 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 2: round two hundred bucks, they'd be worth fifteen hundred dollars 107 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 2: that evening one five hundred dollars per pare now easily so, 108 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:23,719 Speaker 2: so this might be a lot of money in that. 109 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 3: This Nigel Sylvester guy is a BMX athlete. That's all right, 110 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 3: I'm looking at these shoes. They're ugly. Cartel can keep it. 111 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: It's not the point. But as Jack, who has a 112 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: really odd amount of information on stolen goods, informed us, 113 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: the stolen merchandise usually transported to California to be sold 114 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: or offered for sale via online third party Amazon nee 115 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: Bay resellers. Both Amazon and e Bay said in statements 116 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: that they have zero tolerance for criminal activities on their platforms. 117 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 2: Well, like, I know, you don't go to malls. They 118 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 2: work with law enforcement. You're not a mall guy. You 119 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 2: probably don't know this. But every mall now, and this 120 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 2: has only been in the last couple of years, has 121 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 2: got a store that sells all kinds of sneakers and 122 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 2: they're all wrapped in plastic. They're used, all of them, 123 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 2: and there are walls of these used sneakers. Oh, I 124 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 2: wonder what percentage of we're stolen. I always have just 125 00:07:16,360 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 2: assumed it was people that were able to buy them 126 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 2: at the original price and then we're willing to let 127 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 2: them go for more money. But there's every mall has 128 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,080 Speaker 2: one of those stores now, especially upstairs walls. 129 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: Yeah. Wow. June last year, California local enforcement agencies and 130 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: Homeland Security executing the search warrant at eleven residences and 131 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: sixteen storage units relating to the ongoing train burglaries, arresting 132 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: forty three suspects and recovering from the storage units about 133 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: three million bucks worth the merchandise believed to him and 134 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: stolen from the BNSF train. 135 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 2: Come back for train robberies. 136 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 3: I'm looking at a pair of these. One pair of 137 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 3: these is on eBay right now. It's a size nine 138 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 3: for nineteen hundred dollars. 139 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 2: What are they? 140 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 3: The Nigel air drawlers? That what the model that was stolen? 141 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:04,280 Speaker 2: Nineteen hundred bucks? 142 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, nineteen hundred bucks, but it's a size nine. 143 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: Sorry, yeah, I was. I was unaware of this whole 144 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 2: thing until I don't know, last year. We'd go in 145 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 2: the grocery store and Sam would say, Dad, that guy 146 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 2: where there's wearing fifteen hundred dollars shoes and You're like 147 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 2: what And you just looked like a pair of Nikes 148 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 2: to me. 149 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: No, no, no, huh. 150 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 3: I'd be worried I was gonna get jumped and my 151 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 3: shoes would get stolen. 152 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 2: I'm surprised that doesn't happen more often. 153 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,280 Speaker 1: I remember when Air Jordan's first came out. It did 154 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: all the time. 155 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 2: Must depend on your neighborhood, you're, I mean, because and 156 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 2: they most young people like my son wear him untied. God, 157 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 2: if you just pushed him over, you could slight him 158 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 2: off his feet so easy. In there, not to give any. 159 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: Hints, yeah, yeah, human beings and what they value, Yes, 160 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 1: such an interesting study psychologically, no doubt. 161 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 2: Well, I guess that's it.