The copper mines dug into the dry plains of Chile’s Atacama Desert have always presented a tempting target for thieves. The region—which spans an area as large as Nebraska—is mostly uninhabited, and because copper is crucial in everything from electronics to plumbing, it’s relatively easy to find a buyer. Over the last few years, big mining companies including BHP Group, Codelco, and Antofagasta Plc have responded by adding more security around the mines themselves, but one weak spot remains: the trains that transport the refined metal hundreds of kilometers across the desert to be shipped off from port towns such as Mejillones and Antofagasta. The rail convoys travel without security personnel and make frequent scheduled stops. Making things even easier for thieves, drivers are under orders to protect their own safety and not to resist if they’re attacked. Train robberies have become so popular in northern Chile that a special police force has been tasked with escorting the convoys. Arrests of would-be bandits point to large, organized criminal networks, but so far no one has been caught in the act. You decide to give it a go. How hard can it be?