Source: LASD – Los Angeles County Sheriffs Dept Information Bureau (SIB)
Stacks of shrink-wrapped pallets filled with tactical gear, children’s toys, and mixed Amazon freight greeted Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives last Wednesday in Ontario, where investigators say they uncovered roughly $1.5 million in stolen merchandise during a multi-team sweep. The cache reportedly included dozens of full pallets of goods, and while the haul was massive, officials said no arrests were made during the initial operation as detectives continue cataloguing the inventory and working to return products to the victim retailers.
Inside The $1.5 Million Haul
Major Crimes Bureau detectives with the Organized Retail Crimes Task Force seized approximately $1.5 million in suspected stolen merchandise during the Ontario operation, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The department listed 22 pallets of First Tactical clothing valued at about $1.2 million, 21 pallets of Mattel/Fisher-Price toys estimated at roughly $250,000, and nine pallets of mixed Amazon freight worth about $100,000.
Detectives said the operation drew support from the Burglary and Robbery Task Force and the Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team, which helped sort through the piles of merchandise and coordinate with retailers to identify which items had been reported stolen.
Part Of A Wider Crackdown
Law enforcement agencies have been ramping up joint operations targeting coordinated theft and resale rings in the wake of tougher prosecutions and new state rules. The L.A. County District Attorney’s office has said it filed more than 1,000 felony petty-theft charges against repeat offenders since Proposition 36 took effect, according to the DA’s office…