© Monserrat Apud de la Fuente/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
Syndication: Arizona Republic
CHICAGO (77WABC) — Traditional shoplifting has broadened to organized theft by criminal networks.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul convened a national task force of state attorneys last year to make it easier to investigate across state lines. He said online resale of merchandise is fueling large scale organized cargo and store thefts.
“What fuels this as an enterprise is the ease of reselling stolen merchandise on online marketplaces,” Raoul told CNBC. “It’s no longer the age where it’s done at flea markets or in the alley or in parking lots.”
Retailers say a total of $68.9 billion of products were stolen in 2019. In 2020, three-quarters said they saw an increase in organized crime and more than half reported cargo theft.
Some big chains blame organized theft for recent store closures or for their decisions to limit hours. Large-scale robberies have swept through stores like Louis Vuitton in San Francisco’s Union Square and a nearby Nordstrom, which was robbed by 80 people.
