Nike Source: NurPhoto / Getty
A major bust turned up over $5M in stolen Nike product inside a California warehouse but social media claims it’s not what it seems.
Over the past few years Nike has begun fighting back on the tomfoolery that has came with the raising popularity of sneakers. The brand has sued a handful of sneaker customizers making carbon copies of their existing product and now is going after stolen goods. Every stop of the supply chain Nike has faced theft including a very viral cargo theft in Memphis.
Customers are even alleging their delivery drivers are stealing products and delivering empty boxes.
According to KTLA, Nike’s Global Security Director, supply chain investigators, and California authorities made a $5M bust recently. After raiding two warehouses in the Los Angeles area LAPD and Nike allege they found thousands of stolen sneakers, clothing, and unique products including samples.
Social Media Provides Context To Nike’s Alleged $5M Bust
One 37-year-old man was arrested and accused of organized retail theft including receiving stolen goods and redistributing the items. This is where things get pretty interesting after news broke on social media context came in from the sneaker community.
ProjectBlitz is one of the most famous sneaker shops in Los Angeles. We know all these shops buy, trade, and sell sneakers 24/7 and 365 days a year. Alleging they have stolen merchandise isn’t farfetched but every consignment shop in America could have the same. We all know these shops want the rarest sneakers and will buy samples to display for clout. The problem is samples and prototypes aren’t supposed to be in the wild and technically would be considered “stolen goods”. Buying the samples is technically “receiving stolen merchandise”.
It’s all about perspective, wordplay, and public relations which Nike might know a thing or two about. While it sounds good a $5M bust occurred it seems a legit sneaker store was raided with items they paid for that could have come from anywhere.
Guess we will have to wait and see how it plays out.