Alcohol
A liquor industry worker says theft in private stores is out of control. (AP Photo)

Major bust in Mill Creek highlights ease of liquor theft

BY Chris Sullivan  on October 8, 2012 @ 11:10 am (Updated: 3:35 pm - 10/8/12 )

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The state has been out of the liquor business for just over three months. Sales are up 10-percent over the same three months last year, and consumers seem to be happy with the availability and the choices.

But you know who else is happy with private liquor sales? Criminals. Liquor theft is running rampant.

MyNorthwest.com has been after all the major chains and independent grocers for the last month trying to get some numbers on how much liquor they're losing.

They will not speak on the record with reporters saying sales numbers are private. They say their store security trumps our desire to know how bad the problem is.

One even admitted it didn't want to speak so the public wouldn't know how easy it is to steal liquor.

But one industry worker, who wishes to remain nameless, says it's out of control.

"The alcohol is going out the door faster than they can put it on the shelf," he said. "There's no concealing it. They're just filling carts up and walking out the door or filling baskets up and taking them out the door."

He's heard that several stores in our area have already lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of inventory.

Most of the thefts are typical shoplifts, like you'd see with any item. People grabbing a bottle or two and hiding it in a coat or a bag and clerks don't notice.

But there are now organized rings ripping off stores. They usually send one person in to distract a night shift clerk who is stocking shelves and then the rest of the crew goes straight to the liquor aisle and loads up.

Mill Creek Police just busted one of them. Alert clerks at the Safeway on 128th recognized them from information Safeway corporate had given employees.

"The store employees identified all three as having potentially put alcohol in their clothing," Mill Creek Officer Ian Durkee said. "When we searched them, we did find alcohol on their person and also observed a large amount of alcohol in the back of their car."

Durkee said they recovered about $3,000 in stolen liquor in the car, but he doesn't know if it all came from that one Safeway store.

So what are stores doing about it? They won't discuss their security measures, but Safeway did say it is assessing its plans and procedures.

With liquor theft on the rise, Sergeant West expects stores to make some changes.

"As time goes on," she said, "they're going to figure out that their losses are adding up, and they'll probably take some different measures to keep those items secure or at least from being stolen so easily."

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (13)


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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Stealing liquor is called "boosting"
    October 8, 2012 3:04 pm
    You can even pre-order Alcohol from these miscreants.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MittensRomney wrote...
    I am pretty sure that a three cornered ring is called a triangle.
    October 8, 2012 5:45 pm
    Education in America! Sheesh!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • livinchina wrote...
    Mittens Romney Education in America.. sheesh...humm
    October 9, 2012 10:12 am
    The term ring is often applied with disapproving connotations to groups of persons. It suggests a small and intimately related group, combined for selfish and often dishonest purposes. I thought you needed to know the distinction between the abstract and the physical. Education in America...sheesh... CH is not much better. His only contribution is to call names. I hope you both graduate from kindergarten soon.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hpitantso wrote...
    Mill Creek theft Ring
    October 8, 2012 11:41 pm
    Where are the racist comments? gangs stealing or just crimminals this time? I wonder how much is being stolen before it even hits the shelfs?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • livinchina wrote...
    hpitantso
    October 9, 2012 10:26 am
    You mean it is racist and not stealing if it is said to be done by gangs..or heaven forbid criminals.? And somehow, if it is stolen before it gets to the store that is not a crime of concern as well? Where is your head? Are you so full cynicism you look first at the motives of the ones reporting and do not see the reality of the CRIME?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    I am pretty sure that a three cornered ring is called a triangle . . . .
    October 9, 2012 4:45 am
    no. Its called the Republican Circus. You should know this Mr Flip Flopper.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • A Man Watching wrote...
    Republican Circus?
    October 9, 2012 9:43 am
    The most intelligent statement to come out of Obama's mouth at the debate was "Uh..." One and Done!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • A Man Watching wrote...
    Liquor Theft
    October 9, 2012 9:46 am
    Mandatory 5 year prison time for any crime that involves an organized group. This includes Democrat and Republican politicians.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • livinchina wrote...
    A Man Watching
    October 9, 2012 1:18 pm
    Your comment is so great you graduate to Mittens and CH's kindergarten class.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Dark Jedi wrote...
    The real crime is
    October 9, 2012 11:00 am
    if you try to stop these people and sadly they get hurt... then they can sue you for a million dollars. If crooks get hurt doing their crime, is it really a bad thing? They CHOSE to commit theft. The CONSEQUENCE is they would get hurt. I do not understand why we are removing the CONSEQUENCE of people's CHOICE!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • monkeyal wrote...
    Capitol Hill grocery stores
    October 9, 2012 1:19 pm
    are losing many thousands of dollars worth of stolen booze bottles. Even armed SPD is thwarted by store policy; private security catches some; many get away with varied amounts. Scary and dangerous for customers and store employees, but not the crooks and thieves.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Saltchucker wrote...
    Send all covincted liquor thieves to Tennessee!
    October 9, 2012 2:56 pm
    where they can all shorten thier lives Butt Chugging!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }