Story Of The Day: Lego Theft Ring Broken Up -- Oregon -- July 11, 2024

 Locator: 48107LEGO.

Not necessarily a ring, but ... whatever.

See this post also.

Link here. 

From the linked article:

Police in Oregon have recovered more than 4,000 stolen Lego sets valued at over $200,000 in a massive bust following a three-month investigation, authorities said.

The seizure happened on July 3 at approximately 12:30 p.m. when authorities from the Springfield Police Department in Eugene, Oregon, served a warrant to 47-year old Ammon Henrikson, the owner of “Brick Builders,” accusing him of knowingly purchasing new and unopened Lego sets that had been stolen from other local retail stores, according to a statement from the Springfield Police Department released on Tuesday.

“In several instances, suspects stole hundreds of dollars’ worth of Lego sets and then immediately went to the Brick Builders store to exchange the stolen items for cash: most often at a fraction of their actual retail value,” authorities said in their statement announcing the bust. “When interviewed, some suspects advised that Brick Builders’ staff knew the sets had recently been stolen. Officers learned that many of the suspects were utilizing the money they received to buy and use illegal drugs.”

Partnering with loss prevention investigators from Target, Fred Meyer, Barnes & Noble and Walmart to confirm that Henrikson was purchasing sets that were stolen from them, the Springfield Police Department ended up recovering 4,153 Lego sets with a total value of more than $200,000, police said.

Average set price: $50 / set. Which seems really, really on the low side.