LAPD Recovers $1M in Stolen Rail Cargo at LA Shoe Store

LAPD recovers $1 million in cargo linked to BNSF and Union Pacific rail thefts

Los Angeles police recovered approximately $1 million worth of merchandise that investigators said had been stolen from freight shipments moving on BNSF Railway and Union Pacific rail lines.

The recovery followed a Sept. 30 search at Shoes n Shoes, a shoe retailer on Slauson Avenue in Whittier, California. Detectives found 59 pallets of consumer goods, including footwear, drinkware, backpacks and home appliances, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police arrested the store’s owner, identified as 45-year-old Placentia resident Waseem Saman. LAPD said Saman was contacted while detectives executed the search warrant and acknowledged purchasing a significant amount of inventory through brokers or other middlemen. Investigators characterized those sources as illegitimate distributors supplying merchandise from well-known brands.

Saman was booked at Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of receiving stolen property under California Penal Code Section 496(a). The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office had not announced charges in the information provided by police.

The merchandise recovered at the store included Nike, New Balance, Brooks and Sanuk shoes. Investigators also found Yeti cups and jugs, JanSport backpacks and Shark vacuums. The mix illustrates how cargo theft investigations can involve more than a single product category or shipment.

Rail cargo moved beyond the original thefts

According to LAPD, the recovered goods were connected to stolen cargo from BNSF and Union Pacific rail shipments. Police have not disclosed when the thefts occurred, where the shipments originated, where they were headed or the value of each individual load.

Authorities also have not explained how the merchandise left railroad control or how it reached the Whittier retailer. The brokers and middlemen referenced by investigators have not been publicly identified, and the investigation remains active.

For drivers and other freight workers, the case highlights the importance of what happens after cargo disappears from the transportation network. Goods taken from rail shipments can later surface in warehouses, retail stores or secondary distribution channels, making recovery and accountability more difficult once the original packaging and shipping records are separated from the merchandise.

The investigation also shows why cargo theft cases often require cooperation among multiple transportation and law enforcement agencies. LAPD’s operation included investigators from BNSF and Union Pacific, police from the Alameda Belt Line and the Port of Los Angeles, and investigators from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation.

Joint investigation continues

LAPD described the multiagency effort as important to combating large-scale cargo theft in the region. Rail police can help identify affected shipments and trace cargo records, while local detectives investigate businesses and individuals who may have received or distributed the goods.

Police have not said how long the investigation had been underway before the search warrant was served. They also have not detailed whether the recovered merchandise came from one theft or multiple incidents involving BNSF and Union Pacific shipments.

The Whittier recovery follows other recent cargo theft cases involving footwear in Southern California. In one incident, San Bernardino County deputies recovered more than $123,000 worth of Brooks running shoes from two abandoned vans near Ludlow after a BNSF train made an emergency stop. Days later, deputies in Barstow recovered more than $150,000 worth of New Balance shoes following reported boxcar break-ins near Daggett.

Those cases, along with the Shoes n Shoes search, show how rail cargo theft can affect manufacturers, retailers, railroads and the trucking and logistics networks that handle freight before and after rail transportation. They also demonstrate the challenge of tracing branded merchandise once it has been removed from its intended shipping process.

LAPD said detectives are continuing to investigate the source and distribution of the goods recovered in Whittier. Further details about the alleged thefts, the suppliers involved and any additional charges had not been released.