Following the money: Inside Cook County crackdown on cargo theft, stolen goods

I have them breaking into the train track containers. Offenders made threats to the neighbors that they can't park there. Offenders are known to carry bullpups. After midnight, three shipping containers hit. The dark hit the suspects. Their body heat gave them away. A thermal drone helped officers find them and arrest them, along with a suspected getaway driver. But who was waiting to turn the loot into profit? This guy had this product in the flea markets and stuff like that. A lot of the product, like cargo theft and different things you see across Illinois. This truck here, and then that blue truck is going to go, and then you guys will fall behind. Okay. All right? Thank you. Not a problem. In a separate investigation, Cook County Sheriff's investigators are going after the suspected buyers. For the love of money, some steal it. Others, investigators say, stock it and sell it. Okay, okay. What do we got? The Target, Future Fashion on West 47th Street in Brighton Park. Fox Chicago was there for the search. The first clue came from a retailer. Victoria's Secret reached out to me and said, hey, we see a lot of our products that's in the side of the store that haven't even been released yet. Do you think they have more than this? That's what you've got to find out. Not yet released, the company said, but already here. Then came the undercover test in September. I sent an undercover officer back inside the store to buy my items back that I sold this guy. Hey, how you doing, Brian? Doing fine, and you? Um, I'm in an extension operation. I have a lot of your stuff. 2620 West 47th Street. You want to come out here? Inside, clothing handbags, perfume shoes, even equipment that investigators say can remove anti-theft devices. But which goods were stolen? This table, majority of stuff over here, it's counterfeit. It's not real. What's the problem with the counterfeit? Because that's an issue too. Yeah, it's a huge, that's why I was there. They're a copyright infringement brand because they're losing money. Retail representatives helped check. Investigators say stolen merchandise can be mixed with the legitimate purchases called layering. A brand label isn't enough. They need to trace how it got here. So straight cargo theft is like when there's really no thought behind it, like with a train and the train is just sitting and they're popping locks on the containers and then they open them up and it's whatever, it's like the lottery. They're just shopping to see whatever they can find. So is this a legit business license? Yes. Okay. And they want to hear from the owner. Yes. Actually, one of his employees talked to him, so he claimed he's on his way. So what happens if he doesn't show up? Put a warrant out for him. We'll get him. The police here. Let's go see. Come on. Eventually, Rodrigo Espinoza arrives. Everybody's here. They're looking for you. They say you got counterfeit stuff. That's why we're here. We're here to take all the stolen merchandise and all the counterfeit merchandise out of your place. Investigators read him his rights and arrest him. He says he has records from his sellers. He points to messages on his phone. 38-year-old Espinoza and 41-year-old employee Jose Velasquez Gonzalez were both charged with theft of more than $10,000 and continuing a financial enterprise. Both were released. Their cases remain pending. Just days ago, another freight container hit near 18th and Western, looted, boxes left behind. But not every cargo thief needs bolt cutters. Some break into containers. Others, investigators say, get into shipping systems. It's strategic where these guys are getting into the systems, cloning loads and dealing with millions of dollars worth of like iPhones missing and stuff like that. Entire shipments diverted. We've started getting tractor trailers filled with what? The equipment that's wildly expensive that's used for the data centers. There are fewer reported incidents, but bigger losses. CargoNet estimates nearly $305 million in cargo losses in the second quarter, more than double the same period last year. Here in Cook County, the Sheriff's Office provided these figures covering both cargo and retail theft. Nearly $4.9 million in stolen merchandise in 2025, more than $8.3 million in the office's 2026 tally, and some investigations stretch overseas. And where do they sell them, on the black market? No, actually the iPhones were activated in Japan, in China. Stolen phones switched on half a world away. In some cases, somebody may say, well, you're getting the small fish out of this huge pond. What kind of effect does that really have? You know, the ones that we're getting now have tentacles everywhere. From freight containers to store shelves, investigators are following the goods to find out who profits. And it's evolving. You know, these guys are messed up. The next shipment is already moving. The challenge? To stop the theft and cut off the sale. Tia Ewing, Fox Chicago.