LA Law Enforcement Busts Massive $4M Organized Retail Theft Operation

Southern California law enforcement officers have recovered a whopping $4 million in stolen merchandise from retailers like Target, Nordstrom and TJ Maxx in a massive, coordinated retail theft bust.

Apparel, luxury handbags, beauty products, fragrances, over-the-counter medications and scented candles were among the heaps of loot seven thieves were charged with lifting from a total of 17 retail locations in Los Angeles and South Gate in February, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and the county’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF).

Ulta Beauty, CVS, Walgreens, Macy’s and Bath & Body Works were among the retailers also victimized in the crime spree, LASD confirmed to Sourcing Journal. The recovered property will be returned to the stores, the department said.

By collaborating with the impacted retailers, law enforcement was able to track the crimes and obtain a search warrant for multiple locations where the items were being held. The Sheriff’s Information Bureau characterized those locations as “retail” establishments.

The suspects now in custody include “boosters” who stole the goods, as well as “fences”—other operators that typically unload the goods on online marketplaces, at swap meets, or at illicit retail locations. According to LASD and the ORCTF, a large amount of cash was also seized in the raid.

The identities of the suspects have not been released, and officers did not indicate whether they were still seeking other suspects in the operation. Those that were arrested have been charged with organized retail theft, grand theft and receiving stolen property.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reported that it conducted its own sting at a retail location in the Westlake neighborhood near Downtown, L.A., unearthing $300,000 in stolen goods like sneakers, apparel, accessories and beauty products from stores like TJ Maxx, Target, Ross, CVS and Walgreens in a stockroom.

The store’s operator, who was not named, was arrested for the crime of receiving stolen property.

These major takedowns come in the wake of recently passed retail crime legislation. California voters in November passed Prop. 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act by a margin of 70 percent. The new law walks back some provisions of Prop. 47, passed in 2014, which sought to address prison overcrowding by setting the felony threshold for shoplifting at $950. Now, petty theft or shoplifting with two prior theft-related convictions may be charged as a felony.

Governor Gavin Newsom also signed a bundle of 11 retail theft bills into law last fall, which address issues like organized retail crime, the role of online marketplaces in fencing stolen goods, violent crimes like smash-and-grabs and the destruction of property.