The citizens of Los Angeles can rest easy knowing that a criminal theft ring no longer stalks the city's retail stores to feed the Lego black market. This is because the California Highway Patrol (CHP) instagram.com/p/C5rlvWHPO8K/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==”>announced this week that he had arrested four people whom he accused of stealing what police estimated in Lego sets worth “approximately $300,000.”
The four had allegedly stolen their Lego stock from stores such as Target, Home Depot and Lowe's and sold them to black market dealers who then sold the stolen bricks at “seemingly legitimate businesses, swap meets or online.” Police say they were charged with “charges related to organized retail theft, grand larceny and conspiracy to commit a crime.”
The CHP posted images of the bust on instagram. The stolen sets included the 921-piece, $85 Millennium Falcon (as opposed to the 2017 behemoth of $800 and more than 7,000 pieces), the 6,167-piece, $500 Millennium Falcon. Lord of the Rings Rivendell Castle and a 1,458-piece Porsche 911 set for $170.
Like any other collectible, Lego sets are prime targets. In 2021, French police announced that they were investigating an international Lego crime ring. That same year, Seattle authorities arrested a store owner accused of selling stolen Lego sets following an investigation clumsily named “Operation: Mandal Organized Retail Robbery,” as NBC News reported.
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