California law enforcement officials have busted a gang of organized thieves who stole $8 million worth of cosmetics across Southern California and sold them on Amazon and other sites.<\/p>\n
A task force specializing in organized theft, comprised of the California Highway Patrol, has raided cosmetics stores across the state through an investigation over the past several months. It was announced on the 16th that the leader of an organized theft group that committed targeted theft was arrested.<\/p>\n
On the 16th, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced at a press conference held in San Diego that a total of nine people had been indicted and that they had been found to have committed similar crimes not only in Southern California but also in the eastern region. It was revealed that the arrested leader of the organized crime ring recruited at least seven people as henchmen and had them steal cosmetics from Ulta Beauty Stores and other retail outlets across the state and then sell the stolen items at a discount through Amazon.<\/p>\n
It was revealed that this organized theft crime had been going on for over ten years. The organized theft took place in a total of 21 counties, including LA and Orange County, Alameda, Placer, Kern, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Diego, Riverside, San Mateo, San Bernardino, Napa, and Ventura. This investigation was conducted in cooperation with the Highway Patrol, the California Department of Justice, the Federal Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Postal Service, and employees of the affected stores also appeared to have joined the investigation.<\/p>\n
Authorities have been investigating since last summer to catch up with these thieves after more than 230 thefts were reported at Ulta stores in Southern California. In December of last year, several suspects involved in organized theft gangs were arrested throughout Southern California, and this time, the leader of the theft gang was arrested.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"