Officers in Washington have arrested two people believed to be members of an organized theft group and seized thousands of dollars worth of stolen cosmetics.
Lynnwood Police officers responded to calls about a theft at a makeup store on Alderwood Mall Parkway on Feb. 1.
When they arrived, a “loss prevention officer” told them that the two suspects had stolen makeup products.
The employee was able to confirm that the suspects were the same people involved in another makeup theft on January 31st.
Officers were soon able to take the suspects and their vehicle into custody and discovered over $12,000 worth of stolen cosmetics.
Police have not released the names of the suspects.
Lynnwood Police officers responded to calls about a theft at a makeup store on Alderwood Mall Parkway on Feb. 1
Images shared by police on social media show a huge pile of products, including eyeliners, mascaras, face powder and a Sol de Janeiro spray.
Images shared by police on social media show a huge pile of products, including eyeliners, mascaras, face powder and a Sol de Janeiro spray.
The department believes the thieves are members of a Romanian organized retail travel crime network and that the products are being shipped across state borders to be sold for pennies on the dollar.
One of the suspects was charged with first-degree organized retail theft and jailed, and the other thief, a juvenile, was released to his parents/guardians.
According to local news, the defendants first raided Kohl's in downtown Lynnwood in January and were then arrested in February after stealing a Sephora at Alderwood Mall.
According to local news, the defendants first raided Kohl's in downtown Lynnwood in January and were then arrested in February after stealing a Sephora at Alderwood Mall (pictured).
The department believes the thieves are members of a Roma organized crime ring and that the products are being shipped across state lines to be sold for pennies on the dollar
According to the Washington Examiner, federal investigators have linked major retail thefts to criminal organizations in Europe and South America.
Michael J. Krol, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, said in a statement that one of those groups was the Romanian organized theft group ROTG.
The group is suspected of sending non-US citizens into the country with the sole purpose of stealing.
“A recent HSI investigation in Missouri revealed that an ROTG consisting of previously deported individuals transferred illicit proceeds to Romania and other international destinations,” the agent said.
The city of Lynnwood is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located 16 miles north of Seattle.
This comes a few months after a CVS pharmacy in Washington DC made headlines for replacing almost all of its inventory with photos to combat rampant shoplifting.
Customers must press a button to request staff to retrieve the products from the warehouse – a dystopian attempt to combat rampant shoplifting
Abandoned shelves greet visitors to DC's CVS, which is routinely cleaned out by shoplifting kids on their way to or from school
In October 2023, framed images of items like toilet paper and kitchen towels standing in place of the real products went viral X.
Customers were asked to press a button each time to request staff to collect the products from the warehouse.
At the time, conservative commentator Joey Mannarino, who shared the images, wrote: “This is how we live in America now? This is the Third World!”
The strategy was fueled by the routine looting at another CVS in Washington DC.
Shocking images had emerged of entire shelves being cleared by gangs of children who were reportedly attacking the store every day at the time.
“When you walk into this CVS, you think the store is closing because there's hardly anything on the shelves,” Fox 5 reporter Sierra Fox told viewers.
She added that only a single security guard was stationed at the time and was no match for the dozens of lawless teenagers.
Data from CapitalOne Research estimated that stores nationwide lost $86.6 billion to retail theft in 2022 due to routine shoplifting, and estimates that retail theft could cost stores over $115 billion by 2025.