THEIVES have been targeting containers hauled by trains in Los Angeles as a major backlog builds at ports across the country, reports Newsweek.
Thousands of boxes which were previously being held on Union Pacific trains as they wait to make their way into the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been seen strewn by the train tracks at Valley Boulevard and North Mission Road in Lincoln Park.
As noted by NBC, there are homeless encampments on both sides on the railway tracks where the boxes have been discarded.
The Union Pacific Railroad said it is aware and is working with local police. City officials are reported to be looking into moving some of the containers into vacant lots in Wilmington to prevent theft.
Officials have struggled to clear the backlog of cargo at the ports, which have disrupted supply chains.
"The more that supply chains in general are backed up, the more cargo you're going to have sitting. And that creates a bigger opportunity for thefts," said Travelers crime specialist Scott Cornell.
In October, President Joe Biden said the Port of Los Angeles would begin operating 24 hours a day in order to help clear the supply chain issues, following on from a similar commitment made by the Port of Long Beach a few weeks ago.
Forty per cent of all shipping containers imported into the country come via the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
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