$14,000 worth of brand new Nikes were reportedly boosted out of the back of a semi-truck in Memphis, Tennessee, where Nike's largest distribution centers are located.
According to WREG, police say the truck was parked on Pleasant Hill in Southeast Shelby County when someone cut through the trailer’s lock, broke in and took off with at least a dozen cartons of Nike shoes.
The business says the trailer was left on the property because it needed a tire repair, but the thieves cut a hole in the fence to get into the lot. When the driver returned two days later he noticed it had been broken into.
Truck drivers in Memphis are warned to be on the lookout for thieves who target trailers that they know are filled with valuables, including shipments of new Nike sneakers.
Per WREG,
"In Memphis, they know what trailers got what in them," said Ned Hunter, a local truck driver. "If you know what’s in the trailer, then you should get on to where you got to go to, get out of Memphis."
“It’s more the drivers with the van trailers that really have to worry about it a lot," said driver David, who only wanted to go by his first name.
“It is a dangerous job," said David. "You can be held at gunpoint because a lot of people think that we have money inside of the trucks when we don’t have any money.”
One of the drivers interviewed by WREG, Ned Hunter, says they are usually told to drive nonstop for 100 to 200 miles after their trailers have been loaded with valuables.