Stolen shoes on eBay lead police to $1 million in missing BNSF train cargo
An eBay listing for stolen shoes exposed a $1 million cargo recovery in Los Angeles. Investigators arrested the business owner, but questions remain about where the merchandise originated.
Los Angeles police recovered approximately $1 million in stolen railroad cargo after tracing shoes advertised for sale on eBay. Investigators uncovered 35 pallets of BNSF Railroad property during an October 21 search of a local business. The merchandise included athletic footwear and backpacks from several major brands. Authorities arrested the business owner following the discovery.
The Los Angeles Police Department announced the recovery on October 26. Detectives identified DesignerDeals4Less in the 21000 block of Nordhoff Street in Chatsworth, a Los Angeles neighborhood within the San Fernando Valley. Officers discovered merchandise from Brooks, Hoka, New Balance, Adidas, ON, Salomon and JanSport. The discovery follows a separate $1 million railroad cargo recovery at a Whittier shoe retailer earlier in October.
The investigation began after detectives discovered stolen Brooks/Disney collaborative shoes advertised for sale on eBay. Investigators arranged a controlled purchase, which helped establish a connection to DesignerDeals4Less. That transaction led authorities to obtain a search warrant for the Los Angeles business. In August, deputies recovered more than $123,000 in Brooks shoes following a separate BNSF boxcar burglary near Ludlow, California. Two days later, deputies recovered more than $150,000 in New Balance shoes following another BNSF boxcar burglary near Daggett, California. Authorities have not established a connection between those recoveries and the Los Angeles investigation.
This story was originally published by FreightWaves. Read the full story at FreightWaves →
Conversation