Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrest of a Lake Worth couple accused of running a multi-circuit organized retail theft enterprise that bought and resold stolen baby formula across the state. Investigators identified more than $1.1 million in revenue from those sales between November 2024 and June 2025.
Mohammed Alsaidi, 59, and Zeina Abdul-Hassan Sou Zabib, 49, are accused of directing a fencing operation that paid professional shoplifters to steal baby formula from major retailers — then stored and resold the merchandise for profit.
“Stealing baby formula away from parents who rely on it to feed their children is unconscionable,” Uthmeier said. “This couple sat at the top of a criminal enterprise that paid thieves to clear Florida shelves and then resold the stolen formula for more than a million dollars in profit. Organized retail theft is not a victimless crime, and we will continue to crack down on these enterprises to keep prices low.”
Investigation spans 15 months, multiple counties
Over a 15-month joint investigation, the Attorney General’s Special Investigative Retail Theft Task Force, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and partner agencies identified the fencing operation, which was run from a Lake Worth residence and a Davie warehouse. Professional shoplifters — known as boosters — stole baby formula from Publix, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Winn-Dixie stores and sold it to Alsaidi and Zabib for about $10 per can, roughly one-fifth of the retail price…