19 Men Charged With Stealing From Railroad Boxcars

(CBS) -- The Sheriff of Lake County Indiana says 19 men face charges for theft of $2.5 million in goods stolen from boxcars in Chicago and Indiana.

Lake County Sheriff John Buncich says his deputies worked eight months with CSX railroad police to round up the crew which broke into boxcars parked for the night or even just stopped temporarily at signal delays.

"These individuals, they know what they are targeting. Somehow they seem to know what is in these cars to go for the high-ticket items, the TVs, the computers the pharmaceuticals, and then they are fencing them through storefronts, illicit operation storefronts in Chicago," said Buncich.

Sheriff Buncich says his deputies arrested seven Lake County, Indiana residents and have warrants for a dozen more on charges ranging from theft to resisting law enforcement.