Three men are facing serious charges after allegedly stealing more than $311,000 worth of Air Jordan sneakers from a train in California. This bold theft came to an abrupt end thanks to a GPS tracker that was secretly placed on the shoes to deter such crimes.
The suspects, identified as Bryan Quintero Echarravia, 18, Bernardo Romero Quintero, 34, and Olegario Flores, 26, were arrested on November 22. They are accused of breaking into a parked train in the Mojave Desert and making off with 1,278 pairs of the popular Nike Air Jordan 11 Retro sneakers, valued at a staggering $311,832.
After stealing the merchandise, the trio loaded the sneakers into a rental U-Haul truck and attempted to transport them to Anaheim. However, their plans quickly unravelled when law enforcement traced the GPS signal from Nike’s tracker to their location.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer emphasized that organized crime will not go unchecked. He stated, “Organized theft rings are no match for the sophistication and determination of law enforcement.” He reassured the public that in Orange County, it’s only a matter of time before offenders are caught and held accountable.
The theft was first reported when police and the railway company BNSF noticed that the shipping container with the valuable shoes was missing. Detectives from the California Highway Patrol followed the GPS signal to an Anaheim parking lot, where they found the rental truck and the stolen sneakers inside.
All three suspects have been charged with felony grand theft and receiving stolen property. Additionally, Romero Quintero and Flores face misdemeanour charges for possessing burglary tools. If convicted on all counts, they could each face up to three years in state prison.
