The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday seized millions of dollars’ worth of stolen Nike sneakers during a raid of a warehouse in Torrance.
LAPD investigators determined that the merchandise had been stolen from trucks near the Port of Los Angeles, KCBS-TV reported.
A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which investigates cargo thefts at the port, referred all questions about the operation to the LAPD.
After tracking the stolen items to the Torrance warehouse, police served a search warrant and recovered an estimated $7 million worth of merchandise, the station reported. No arrests have been made.
The LAPD did not immediately comment about the investigation.
Shoe and apparel heists are a multimillion-dollar problem for Nike.
In April of last year, Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives arrested a suspect, Julian Gutierrez, in connection with a robbery at a Nike store in East Los Angeles, as well as multiple “grab-and-go” retail thefts.
Gutierrez was found with several thousand dollars’ worth of new clothing with tags and security devices still attached in his vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Losses from the Nike store were estimated at more than $150,000.
Then, in September, thieves in Memphis, Tenn., broke into a Nike distribution center and stole about $800,000 worth of sneakers and apparel, according to authorities.
Earlier this year, the popular sports shoe company temporarily closed its retail store in Portland, Ore., because of ongoing thefts there.
A Nike spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
