11 indicted in connection with Arizona train theft of Nike shoes worth over $440K

PHOENIX — Eleven people have been charged with possessing Nike shoes worth almost half a million dollars stolen from a train in Arizona, authorities said.

A grand jury indicted Noe Cecena-Castro and 10 co-conspirators on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

The group allegedly possessed 1,985 pairs of unreleased Nike shoes that were worth over $440,000 and had been stolen from a BNSF train in northern Arizona, prosecutors said.

Stolen Nike shoes came from train robbed in northern Arizona

This case is related to a Jan. 13 BNSF train robbery in northern Arizona.

An air hose was cut to immobilize the train This is a common technique criminal organizers use because they can control where trains come to a stop, prosecutors said. However, it’s extremely dangerous as it can cause fast-moving trains to derail.

Organized criminal groups will then break into containers and unload valuable cargo alongside the tracks, prosecutors said. A second crew of criminals will then load the stolen goods into box trucks or other cargo vehicles to bring the stolen items to California. Then, the criminals will sell the stolen goods online.

All 11 defendants are in federal custody pending trial. Nine of the eleven defendants are Mexican nationals without legal status, prosecutors said. Each defendant faces a charge of possessing stolen goods. However, three of the defendants face charges of re-entering the U.S. after being removed, while six more face charges of improper entry by an undocumented migrant.

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