San Bernardino Sheriff arrests nine Sinaloa cartel suspects in rail heist

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested nine men on Wednesday who investigators believe are linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Authorities charged the suspects with organized theft of freight from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway trains. The group is alleged to have targeted the railroad in a coordinated effort that resulted in millions of dollars in stolen property over the past period.

The operation began when investigators tracked a connected network of suspects and their vehicles. That intelligence led to a search warrant executed on October 16 at a residence on East 35th Street near Harrison and Lynwood Drive in San Bernardino. All nine individuals arrested during the raid are native to the state of Sinaloa in Mexico.

Sheriffs recovered goods valued at $333,000 during the search of the property. The inventory included JBL speakers, Logitech computer hardware, Victoria’s Secret merchandise, Nike and New Balance shoes, and Husky tools. Police also confiscated a large amount of cash, four semiautomatic pistols, and a drone. Investigators noted that the tools found on site could have been used to gain access to the rail containers.

Authorities also seized fentanyl that officials said was presumably intended for sale. Each of the nine suspects faces charges of conspiracy, theft of rail property, and possession of a controlled substance while armed. The Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate the full scope of the rail thefts attributed to this group.

The department asked members of the public with information about the crimes or the suspects to call or text the word REPORT to We-Tip at 844-909-3006. The agency is treating the arrests as a major step in disrupting a specific criminal enterprise operating within the county’s rail corridors.