06/16/2026
It starting to feel like the wild wild west with the surge of Railway Thefts taking place.
In a recent article by Phil Brink, FreightWaves, Arizona is a big target.(our research shows that so is the desert areas of California).
"Authorities recovered more than $500,000 in merchandise after a train burglary near Winslow, Arizona, as investigators warn that organized theft networks continue operating across Northern Arizona rail lines.
wo men were arrested and more than $500,000 in stolen merchandise was recovered following a train burglary near Meteor Crater west of Winslow, Arizona, but investigators say the case reflects a broader cargo theft problem affecting rail corridors across Northern Arizona.
According to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, investigators received a report on May 29 that multiple individuals were removing merchandise from a stopped BNSF Railway train and loading it into a van and a box truck parked near the tracks. Authorities later stopped the van and arrested Jaime Beltran-Bojorquez, 32, and Gerardo Mares Vazquez, 28. Investigators said a second vehicle fled from deputies before crashing near Williams, Arizona. Two unidentified suspects fled on foot and remain at large. Law enforcement officials recovered merchandise valued at more than $500,000 from the vehicles. According to Detective Curtis Peery of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, the value is based on the retail value of the recovered products. While the arrests generated local headlines, investigators say the larger issue is the frequency of train burglaries occurring throughout Northern Arizona. “We probably have somewhere between 8 to 12 events a month,” Peery previously told local media...."
See FreightWaves for all the details.
Make no mistake fraud and theft in logistics is big business now and it requires all of us to have strict protocols to protect ourselves and our customers.
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