Last year, Michael Jordan reportedly made more than $350 million only from the Air Jordan royalties. The sale of his signature brand made Nike over $7.3 billion in sales. But this year, there is a smaller hit on those sales figures for now.

Federal agents arrested eight men for their involvement in the theft of $300,000 in Nike shoes from a cargo train in Arizona. It was possible because the crew of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter recorded the entire saga. It showed six individuals unloading 23 crates from a BNSF Railway boxcar. Two other individuals helped the other six to load the 1800 pairs of Nikes into the vehicles.

The crew followed the van and the box truck, quickly located, and apprehended those individuals. The thieves apparently used metal saws and bolt cutters to remove the merchandise from the moving train. Those sneakers from the Michael Jordan brand were the Air Jordan “Son of Mars Low,” slated to be available to the public starting May 1.

It was announced in September that the Jordan Son Of Mars Low, which first debuted in 2015, was expected to re-launch in Spring 2026 at a retail price of $165.

The 8 individuals arrested could face up to 10 years in prison.

“Once the organization targets a particular train of interest, they find a location for several train burglars to get on the train. They open container doors and target merchandise to steal electronics, tools, wearing and shoe apparel,” Homeland Security Investigations agents said in recent court filings.

These rail tracks between Needles, California, and communities north of Phoenix have, in the past few years, become an unfortunate hub for criminal organizations.

Michael Jordan’s son was also an unfortunate victim

MJ’s second son, Marcus Jordan, is also the owner of Trophy Room, a sneaker boutique. Back in October 2024, just hours after Hurricane Milton, five masked men broke into a Trophy Room warehouse. They ransacked the property in search of valuable footwear and got away with 300 to 400 pairs of sneakers worth at least $20,000.

The burglars also stole the Mercedes-Benz van, owned by Michael Jordan’s son. Among the stolen items was the Trophy Room x Air Jordan 1 Retro Low OG “Rookie Card – Home,” a June 2024 release that tied back to MJ’s early NBA days. Fortunately for Marcus Jordan, a tip led the police to question one of the suspects, who was wearing the stolen kicks.

That one arrest was the first domino to fall, leading to four more suspects. Reports in June 2025 revealed that all the perpetrators were in custody and facing charges, including grand theft and dealing in stolen goods.