In the USA, the tradition of robbing mail trains has been revived

If you ask any of us about what we know about the attacks on mail trains, almost everyone will claim that this is something old, connected with the Wild West, cowboys and Indians. And they'll make a big mistake. In Los Angeles, parcel train robberies have been considered a harsh reality for several months. Since November 2021, a looting boom has begun on the railway.

For several weeks, Los Angeles residents living near railway lines and stations have been observing a terrible picture. Piles of cardboard boxes, styrofoam and wrapping paper are piled up along the tracks, and suspicious individuals in masks and balaclavas are scurrying among the garbage. When the police appear, unknown people evaporate, but soon they begin to flash near the tracks again.

These people are just robbing trains with parcels. They are interested in household appliances, gadgets, branded clothing, spare parts for cars and in general everything that can be sold. They break into the mail car, and like vultures pounce on its contents. The looters don't have much time, because they know that the cops or the guards are already rushing to their soul. Therefore, they are frantically gutting boxes right next to the wagons. Most of the loot, which has no prospects for resale, they throw right away.

Rampant railway crimes arose because of the lockdown. In the USA, the work of stores was restricted and Americans began to order goods via the Internet. Orders reach consumers either by plane or by rail. The second delivery method has recently ceased to be reliable.

Americans who lost their jobs massively began to trade on the railroad. Everything worked out as it should — those who have money, order, and those who don't - steal. Everything that was obtained illegally is later sold on trading platforms or online auctions. But criminals are not interested in cheap goods, so they just throw them away.

Near the railroad tracks in Los Angeles, you can find anything from underwear to fire helmets. Abandoned items and torn packaging sometimes hinder the movement of trains and they have to be cleaned with the help of special equipment. But the deliverers suffer the most from looters. Some of the cargo is insured, but if this continues, insurance companies will reconsider their obligations.

Some major postal services, such as Union Pacific, are already looking for new parcel delivery routes. In an interview, a representative of the company complained that criminals feel impunity because of the lack of professionalism of the police.

It's a shame, but the powers of protection are limited and only the police can solve the problem. The situation has become so serious that it is being discussed at the government level. On January 20, California Governor Gavin Newsom arrived at the most favorite place of work of the looters. The official helped to clean up the garbage and talked to representatives of the press.

The governor promised to take the solution of the problem under his personal control and stop the robberies. Time will tell how he will succeed.