“A lot of people have this vision of a guy on the corner selling [stolen goods] from the trunk of a car,” said LaRocca. “That still happens, but there are some much more sophisticated operations out there.”
LaRocca said organized theft was lucrative enough to become a low-risk/high-reward alternative to drug dealing for street gangs and other criminal organizations who employ local addicts to make off with the merchandise for a fee and then resell the goods at a hefty profit. He added that the online marketplace, where people feel comfortable buying items through auction sites or classified ads, had become a favorite means to dispose of stolen property.
“If you’re selling it on the corner you get 10 cents on the dollar, online you can get 70 or 80 cents on the dollar,” said LaRocca. “And you have a national outlet with virtual anonymity; you just need a photograph of the item and a listing.”
To combat organized theft large retailers like Wal-Mart rely on corporate-level security teams to analyze data, spot trends and identify criminal networks. Police, meanwhile, have become increasingly attuned to the theft rings and share information accordingly. Chief Cruise said an e-mail group shared by detectives from Albany to New York City had become a favorite means for cops to share information about shoplifting crews operating in the region.
“We’ll get a description maybe a photograph from another jurisdiction, warning us ‘hey these guys are going around to CVS pharmacies taking Prilosec and baby formula,” said Cruise. “The technology is great because these criminals know no boundaries.”
