‘Booster crew’ busted with $4 million in stolen merchandise: LASD

Seven suspects said to be part of a “booster crew” operating in Los Angeles County were busted with approximately $4 million worth of stolen property, authorities announced Thursday.

Various retailers including Target, ULTA Beauty, CVS, Walgreens, Nordstroms, Bath & Body Works, Macy’s, and TJ Maxx partnered with the Sheriff’s Department’s Organized Retail Crimes Task Force (ORCTF) in February to address ongoing over-the-counter thefts.

Medications, cosmetics, clothing, high-end handbags, fragrances and household items were among the merchandise stolen by the crews and transported to locations in Los Angeles and South Gate where they were sold off to various “fence” operations, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department stated.

“A multi-location search warrant operation concluded with the arrest of seven suspects and a large amount of evidence was recovered,” the Sheriff’s Department said.

In addition to the roughly $4 million worth of stolen property, detectives recovered a “large sum of U.S. currency” during the operation.

The Sheriff’s Department said 17 separate retailers were affected by the thefts.

The suspects were not identified but were arrested and booked on two charges of organized retail theft as well as grand theft and receiving stolen property.

The Sheriff’s Department formed ORCTF in 2023. The detectives work with local law enforcement agencies, other task forces and federal partners to combat organized retail theft.