Police recovered more than $200,000 worth of stolen Lego sets in a bust of a massive theft ring of the popular toy, authorities said.
A three-month investigation revealed that the owner of a Eugene, Oregon store – Brick Builders on Willamette Street – was “knowingly” purchasing new, unopened Lego sets that had been stolen from other nearby stores, Springfield police said Tuesday on Facebook.
The thieves, police said, stole hundreds of dollars worth of Lego sets from local retailers and then took them to Brick Builders in exchange for cash.
Officers served a search warrant at Brick Builders on July 3 and recovered 4,153 Lego sets, police said. The total value of the sets was more than US$200,000.
Police said the thieves often received only “a fraction” of the retail value of the Lego sets, claiming many of them used the money to buy drugs.
The suspects told police in interviews that Brick Builders staff knew the Lego sets had recently been stolen, according to the police department’s Facebook post.
Reached by phone Wednesday night, the owner of Brick Builders referred NBC News to his attorney. A message left with the attorney’s office was not immediately returned.
The police department said it worked with loss prevention investigators from Target, Fred Meyer, Barnes & Noble and Walmart to confirm that the owner of Brick Builders was purchasing Lego sets that were stolen from his stores.
Police said the suspects were charged with organized retail theft and theft by receiving.
“We all feel the impact of organized retail theft through the increased cost of the items we buy for our families,” said Police Chief Andrew Shearer. “Recognizing this, the SPD Crime Reduction Unit, with the support of our retail partners, works diligently to hold accountable those who make the decision to engage in or support retail theft.”
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
