Federal prosecutors have charged a theft ring comprised largely of illegal immigrants with stealing more than 1,900 pairs of Nike shoes in a train robbery this year.

Investigators said the $440,000 theft is part of a spate of robberies of BNSF Railway trains in Arizona and California, perpetrated by Mexico-based crews.

The robbers track trains to spot those carrying interesting cargo, then cut brake air hoses, forcing the train into an emergency stop. Next, crew members break into a car and steal the goods.

A BNSF train that makes regular runs carrying Nike products has proved to be a frequent target — as it was on Jan. 13, when an 11-person crew cut air hoses and disabled the train, investigators said.

They made off with an as-yet-unreleased style of Air Jordan sneaker that retails at $225 a pair.

Authorities followed trackers placed in the shoes’ containers and nabbed several vehicles with people charged with perpetrating the crime. Law enforcement tracked an oil trail from the scene of the train robbery and found a U-Haul loaded with Nike shoes.

One man, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was deported twice before, told police he delivered shoes to Los Angeles and was paid $25,000 to be split among five people.

All told, authorities arrested 11 people. Nine were in the U.S. illegally, and one has a pending asylum claim. The 11th is a U.S. citizen.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.