The Days Of Arizona’s Cowboys And Outlaws Aren’t Over Yet

I spent much of Easter weekend playing Rockstar Games' critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption II. You'll spend the runtime venturing across late 19th century America with the ruthless Van Der Linde Gang, shooting up camps, sticking up banks, and most importantly, robbing trains.

Since America's dependence on cars forced railways out of the modern eye, we don't see train heists like we used to anymore, but one criminal gang is singlehandedly keeping those legends alive.

Modern Day Cowboys

Over the past year, a gang has made their way across the southwest, robbing every train unlucky enough to cross their paths. Since March of 2024, the gang has pulled over ten heists, making off with millions.

This money isn't coming from cash or raw materials, rather, unreleased shoes. Eleven members of the Mexican transnational Sinaloa Cartel were charged with one of the heists, attempting to sell the stolen shoes before they even hit the market.

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Train Heists Across Arizona

The Latest Robbery

In mid-April 2025, Arizona Department of Public Safety Troopers were notified of another train robbery. It occurred along I-40, in between Williams and Kingman. Two vehicles were flagged almost immediately, and the suspects were caught.

Alongside them were dozens of pairs of stolen Nike shoes, keeping constant with the previous reports of train robberies in the area. Authorities are hoping the two suspects will be able to lead them to the ringleader of the organization, and believe they can stop this epidemic once and for all. Surveillance across rail lines has increased drastically, and should begin to see some progress within the coming months.

[K101][FOX10][Rockstar Games via YouTube]