$7.5M Retail Crime Ring Busted After 18-Month Undercover Investigation

Law enforcement has charged 10 people connected to a retail theft ring which stole about $7.5 million in merchandise and operated from coast to coast, CBS Chicago reports.

Authorities recovered 278,000 items in pallets that were stacked floor to ceiling in a Bolingbrook, Ill., warehouse. The pallets were then shipped to members of the ring based in California and New York, who flipped the products online and at smaller stores, the article says.

The organized crime operation was brought down after an 18-month undercover investigation that was carried out by the Wilmette and Chicago Police Departments, the Illinois State Police and Homeland Security.

“Rather than go after the thieves who stole these items at the retailers, we are prosecuting those at the top of the organization so that we can put an end to the entire enterprise,” said Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow in a statement provided to the outlet.

The 10 people who were indicted face charges ranging from money laundering to theft.

Read more at CBS Chicago.