Three California men accused of stealing $1 million worth of Lego toys face cargo theft charges after they were stopped while fleeing in two box trucks on Wednesday, the authorities said.
When deputies from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Mojave Substation searched the trucks, they discovered “a large amount of Lego products,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
It was not clear whether the men had intentionally targeted the shipments of the plastic bricks, which have become more elaborate and valuable for customers who treat them as commodities.
Thieves have targeted Lego products in recent years because of their resale value outside of stores.
Officials discussing those cases have said the toys are targeted for theft because the pieces and kits are small, untraceable and in high demand, making them ideal for quick resale through online marketplaces or other channels.
In one case in October, the police said they discovered tens of thousands of Lego pieces at a California home and arrested a man who trafficked in the stolen collectibles.
The men who were arrested on Wednesday, Jose Lopez, 37, of San Bernardino; Ruben Lopez Flores, 25, of Los Angeles; and Freddy Hernandez Polinar, 35, of Chino, Calif., had fled in box trucks near Silver Queen Road in Mojave, Calif., after the authorities received a call about suspicious vehicles, the sheriff’s office said.
The men were arrested on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, cargo theft, and conspiracy charges, according to the sheriff’s office. It was unclear on Saturday if the men had been arraigned in court or if they had any legal representation.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The deputies searched the area where the men were arrested and found two freight trailers.
A photo of one of the trailers, which was released by the sheriff’s office, showed it had an Amazon arrow on a blue background on its side. Amazon said it was gathering information about the case on Saturday.
The trailers had been stolen while they were on their way from Fort Worth to Moreno Valley, Calif., according to the sheriff’s office.
The office said that the stolen goods were “reported to be approximately” $1 million worth of Lego products.
Losses attributed to cargo thefts nationwide jumped to about $725 million in 2025, a 60 percent increase from 2024, according to CargoNet, a business focused on theft prevention and recovery for the insurance industry.
But only a fraction of cargo theft is reported, experts say, and the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the F.B.I. estimate the total annual cost to the U.S. economy to be in the tens of billions of dollars.
Georgia Gee contributed research.
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
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