Seattle store owner arrested for trafficking stolen Star Wars LEGOs
Oct 18, 2021, 3:08 PM | Updated: 3:08 pm
Stolen LEGO sets seized from a Seattle store. (Seattle Police Dept.)
(Seattle Police Dept.)
A store owner in downtown Seattle was arrested on Friday for trafficking stolen Star Wars LEGOs, among other items.
Seattle police say “Operation: MandalOrganized Retail Theft” began in late July after receiving reports of a repeat shoplifter who was making off with LEGO sets, specifically “The Mandalorian” Star Wars LEGO sets. The store estimated that it had lost about $10,000 worth of LEGOs between July and September.
Store employees helped identify the shoplifter. One of the employees recognized some of the same LEGO sets and electronics at a nearby store in the 1500 block of Pike Place.
A loss prevention supervisor visited the store and even found many of the items still had RFID tags on them, which indicated they had been stolen from his business.
While a Seattle detective was at the store investigating, the identified shoplifter arrived and sold items to the shop’s owner.
Police determined the shop’s owner was knowingly trafficking stolen goods, including the LEGO sets.
Officers served a warrant on Friday, Oct. 15 and seized thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise, including 171 Lego sets. The loss prevention supervisor used RFID tags and unique numbers to identify 34 of the items taken from his store — with a value of $2,000.
The shop’s owner was arrested for trafficking in stolen property and booked into King County Jail. The investigation of the shoplifter is ongoing.
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